Huh. Turns out the best enterprise AI playbook I’ve read this year comes from the US Marines. And it’s one every organisation should study.
While most companies are still tinkering with LLM demos or siloed innovation labs, the Marine Corps published a masterclass in how to implement AI at scale - with clarity, urgency, and precision.
Here’s what stood out for me:
𝐀𝐈 𝐈𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
Marine Insight: AI is embedded within digital transformation - not treated as a bolt-on tool.
Lesson: Don’t just hire an “AI lead” or spin up PoCs. Rethink your workflows, decision models, and structures around data. AI should reshape how work happens.
𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬
Marine Insight: They deploy Digital Transformation Teams (DXTs) into commands to drive implementation and report insights.
Lesson: Form cross-functional squads that embed into business units. Skip the innovation theatre - solve real problems in real contexts.
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Marine Insight: The focus is on data lifecycle, governance, architecture, and accessibility - before AI is even discussed.
Lesson: AI lives downstream of your data. If it's fragmented or inaccessible, your AI won't scale. Fix the plumbing first.
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐈 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬
Marine Insight: They categorise the workforce into users, builders, and decision-makers - with tailored training for each.
Lesson: AI literacy is for everyone. Execs, compliance officers, and operators all need the right level of fluency to lead and adapt safely.
𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬
Marine Insight: Legacy risk frameworks were flagged as blockers - and they propose streamlining them to accelerate deployment.
Lesson: Ditch the red tape disguised as risk management. Build guardrails that allow for fast, safe experimentation.
𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 - 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝
Marine Insight: They gather and prioritise use cases directly from the field to guide investment and capability building.
Lesson: Let operational pain - not hype - steer your roadmap. Start where the ROI is clear and measurable.
𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
Marine Insight: They track adoption, blocker resolution, manual work reduction, and time-to-value - not just model count.
Lesson: Success isn’t about how many models you build. It’s what they improve, who uses them, and what outcomes they drive.
+++++++
The Marines are doing what most enterprises claim to do - but rarely pull off.
This isn’t a vision deck. It’s an execution plan. And it’s worth studying.
H/T Claudio Bareato