PwC: without owner involvement, AI transformation stalls

In an interview with digitalbusiness.kz, Zhanar Izimova points out that the main obstacle to AI transformation isn't technology but leadership involvement. Companies where the director personally sets goals and demands concrete results move faster than those that leave AI projects entirely to the IT department. The practical takeaway for Kazakhstani businesses: before hiring integrators, identify one specific pain point — a slow month-end close or time lost reconciling documents — and keep its resolution under the owner's personal oversight. We follow a similar approach: rolling out AI agents at 1Cifer starts with one measurable task — reconciling bank statements or preparing a summary for the owner — expanding to other processes only after that first result lands.