Organizations are increasingly relying on enthusiastic employees labeled “AI champions” to convince skeptical colleagues to embrace artificial intelligence technologies as internal resistance remains a significant barrier to implementation.
The Wall Street Journal reports that as companies invest heavily in AI tools, many are discovering that employee reluctance poses one of the biggest obstacles to successful adoption. In response, businesses across industries are mobilizing internal groups of AI champions to promote the technology’s benefits and help convert hesitant workers.
The strategy of leveraging AI enthusiasts within the workforce has become a critical method for driving adoption, according to industry experts. These champions receive early access to new tools, specialized training, and opportunities to present to senior leadership. In return, they promote AI usage among their peers through both formal presentations and casual conversations.
Howard Glazer, co-head of Ropes & Gray’s global private-equity transactions practice and an AI champion at the law firm, explained the fundamental challenge. “Humans don’t like to change,” Glazer said. “Saying ‘Here use this new tool’ is scary to people.”
The hesitation is particularly pronounced in certain professions. In the legal field, Glazer noted concerns about AI-generated errors creating serious professional risks. “You see these articles about firms being sanctioned because they have hallucinations in their court filings. And the reaction of someone who’s already hesitant is, ‘Gee, I can’t do that,’” Glazer said.
Breitbart News recently reported on elite law firm Sullivan & Cromwell apologizing for legal briefs filled with fictitious information such as false case citations due to the use of AI by its lawyers:
A senior partner at Sullivan & Cromwell sent a letter last week to Chief Judge Martin Glenn in Manhattan acknowledging that a previous filing submitted by the firm contained inaccurate citations and what he described as AI hallucinations. The filing was made on behalf of Prince Global Holdings, the bankrupt firm that Sullivan & Cromwell represented in the case.
In his letter, Andrew Dietderich, co-head of Global Finance & Restructuring for Sullivan & Cromwell, explained the nature of the problem. “‘Hallucinations’ are instances in which artificial intelligence tools fabricate case citations, misquote authorities, or generate non-existent legal sources,” he wrote. “We deeply regret that this has occurred.”
Despite these challenges, companies are making measurable progress. A June report from Boston Consulting Group found that 74 percent of front-line employees, defined as individual white-collar workers without managerial responsibilities, are now regular AI users, engaging with the technology daily or several times weekly. This represents a significant increase from 51 percent in BCG’s 2025 report. The study surveyed 11,749 employees across 14 markets.
At Ropes & Gray, the champion program has helped drive substantial growth in adoption of legal AI products like Harvey. Two years ago, only 32 users at the firm sent a few hundred prompts monthly to the platform. Today, nearly 2,200 employees generate over 282,000 prompts per month, with each user three times more active than a year ago. The firm employs approximately 3,000 people globally, including 1,500 attorneys.
Much of Glazer’s work as a champion involves direct personal outreach. “I go to people that don’t use it, and I have a frank conversation,” Glazer said. He tells them: “It’s going to make the work you do faster, easier, better. It’s just going to be hard at first.”
Glazer recently assumed an expanded role as Head of Practice AI, advising the firm’s approximately 60 other champions on effective persuasion strategies. One key insight he shares is that face-to-face, individual conversations prove far more effective than group training sessions. In groups, he said, “everyone would just smile and nod and say, ‘Oh yes, we’re using it.’”
When colleagues express concerns about AI accuracy and hallucinations, Glazer employs a practical comparison. He reminds them that while AI isn’t perfect, neither are the junior professionals who work for them. They never expect first drafts to arrive in final, flawless form.
At Citigroup, AI champion Josh Goldsmith, who heads Digital Solutions and Innovation for Internal Audit, emphasizes the importance of demonstrating practical applications. He worked on an AI use case using the firm’s internal platform, Citi Stylus Workspaces, to generate concise drafts of audit reports. Selling colleagues on that specific capability “has gone a long way in changing people’s minds,” he said.
Citigroup has ambitious AI goals across its operations. At the bank’s investor day in May, Chair and Chief Executive Jane Fraser described applying AI throughout the business, from accelerating client onboarding and underwriting to building AI-powered virtual wealth advisers and enhancing cybersecurity and coding capabilities.
To support these objectives, Citigroup has scaled its program to more than 4,000 participants, divided between champions at the senior executive level and accelerators at various organizational levels. Adoption of Citi Stylus Workspaces has grown from single digits in late 2024 when it launched to more than 80% currently. The company credits the champion and accelerator program as a key factor in this increase.
Selecting the right champions is crucial to program success. According to Mars Snacking Chief Technology Officer Ramesh Kollepara, the most effective AI champions are not necessarily the most technical people. Instead, organizations should look for individuals with innate curiosity who can translate between business needs and technical capabilities.
Kollepara initiated a champions program two years ago while leading technology at Kellanova. The program has expanded since Mars acquired the snack company last year and now includes 500 participants. “Champions are the ones who socialize the broader potential of AI,” he said.
Companies of all sizes are currently exploring how AI will impact their business. Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall has written his instant bestseller Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI to serve as the definitive guide on how the MAGA movement can create positions on AI that benefit humanity without handing control of our nation to the leftists of Silicon Valley or allowing the Chinese to take over the world.
Read more at The Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.