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Cognition – An emerging asset

  • Writer: Ade McCormack
    Ade McCormack
  • Jun 24
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jun 26

Here are the key points covered in the June 2026 Leadership Spotlight webinar, along with the slide deck, where Ade McCormack was the guest speaker.



Key points

  • Rather than think of AI and people as separate matters, think of them collectively as cognition. Cognition being the fuel for innovation, and innovation being the organisation’s response to increasing disruption.

  • Cognition is what kept our ancestors alive in the harshest of condition. Fundamentally cognition can be distilled down into our individual and collective ability to sense, decide and act, in real-time.

  • Our convergence with technology is not new. However in the coming years we will witness profound advances in human augmentation.

  • AI is not new. It is an attempt to mimic human cognition using information technology. True AI, as in mimicking how the mind works, is not there yet. However a branch of AI called machine learning has given rise to rapid advances in recent years.

  • AI is not without its issues. Accuracy, ethics and cost are three notable concerns.

  • Most organisations are not harnessing the value of their natural intelligence, ie their people.

  • The real gains are in harnessing the combined capability of people and technology.

  • Invest resources in ensuring your people are stakeholders in your AI journey.

  • The arrival of agentic AI requires a different way of thinking. IT functions will struggle as it is at odds with how technology has operated to date.

  • There are plenty of good and bad AI case studies in the public sector. Best to be a slow follower than an early adopter, unless the advantages outweigh the risks.

  • Assessing AI adoption using a traditional return on investment (ROI) approach is not enough. You are encouraged to also consider the capability, strategy and cognitive gains.

  • The effectiveness of your AI investment will be determined by the quality of your data. Therefore data quality needs to be the priority.

  • Introducing AI also introduces governance, security and reputational risks. Monitor these with care.

  • Appointing a Chief AI Officer is not recommended. Ensuring the leadership team all have a strategic understanding of AI is critical as well as having people and technology / digital capability in the leadership team.

  • Ensure your councillors are sufficiently competent in respect of AI matters otherwise they will become your organisation's primary risk.

 

About

The presentation was developed and delivered by Ade McCormack through his Intelligent Organisation work.


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