Most CEO-led AI programs fail in month two because teams confuse curiosity with strategy. This playbook eliminates that risk by defining your core responsibilities: business case clarity, readiness validation, and disciplined execution.

The CEO Playbook for the First 90 Days of AI Adoption

TL;DR: Discover a practical 90-day AI adoption playbook for CEOs. Learn how to create alignment, prioritize initiatives, and execute with discipline.

What CEOs should do in the first 90 days of AI adoption to create alignment without creating avoidable chaos.

If you are the CEO, your job is not to become the most technical person in the company. This AI adoption playbook outlines your core responsibilities: defining why the business is adopting AI, who owns it, what risks are acceptable, and what the first controlled move should be.

Most weak AI programs fail early. They fail when teams confuse curiosity with strategy and activity with progress.

Days 1 to 30: Define the Business Case

The first month is about narrowing the problem.

Focus on:

• Where the business feels the most repetitive friction
• Which decisions are slow, costly, or inconsistent
• Whether AI is actually the right lever
• Who should own the initiative internally

Do not start by buying tools. Start by defining which business problem is worth solving first. This discipline separates AI Strategy Consulting engagements that deliver ROI from those that create technical debt.

Days 31 to 60: Assess Readiness and Constraints

Once the business case is clearer, pressure-test the operating conditions.

Review:

• Workflow stability
• Data and system constraints
• Governance expectations
• Leadership bandwidth
• Review and escalation paths

This is the stage where an AI Readiness Assessment determines if a company should proceed or wait before rushing into pilots. Many EU SMEs skip this step and pay for it in failed implementations.

Days 61 to 90: Choose a Narrow First Move

By the third month, the goal is not scale. The goal is a controlled first move.

That may mean:

• A tightly scoped workflow experiment
• A consulting engagement to sharpen priorities
• Targeted team training tied to one workflow change
• A decision to wait until readiness improves

All four can be correct. The mistake is pretending the company is ready for scale when it is not.

What the CEO Should Personally Own in the AI Adoption Playbook

The CEO should personally own:

• The reason the company is doing this
• The ambition level and budget discipline
• The decision-maker when trade-offs appear
• The standard for what success should look like

The CEO does not need to manage every technical detail. But the CEO does need to remove ambiguity.

What to Avoid in the First 90 Days

Avoid:

• Tool-first buying
• Unclear ownership between technology and operations
• Pilots with no decision criteria
• "Innovation" work disconnected from a business priority
• Training that creates awareness but no change in behavior

These patterns create motion without leverage.

The Day-90 Checkpoint

At day 90, leadership should be able to answer:

1. What business problem are we solving first?
2. Who owns the work?
3. What is the next scoped move?
4. What are the main risks?
5. Do we need consulting, readiness work, or implementation support next?

If those answers are still vague, the company should not scale yet.

Further Reading

• The European CEO's 12 Month AI Agenda
• Why SMEs Get Stuck in AI Pilots
• AI Readiness Assessment for Dutch SMEs
• Europe's AI Operating Shift: An Executive Guide

Written by Dr Hernani Costa | Powered by Core Ventures

Originally published at First AI Movers.

Technology is easy. Mapping it to P&L is hard. At First AI Movers, we don't just advise on AI adoption; we build the 'Executive Nervous System' for EU SMEs navigating digital transformation strategy and operational AI implementation.

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