Bottom-Up AI Strategy: A Literacy-Driven Flywheel for Sustainable AI Adoption

This circular flowchart presents a bottom-up approach to AI strategy, driven by continuous learning and grounded in organizational AI literacy. The diagram reimagines AI implementation as a flywheel – a self-reinforcing cycle of user empowerment, experimentation, and strategic alignment.

At the model's center is “AI Literacy & Organizational Learning” representing the cultural and cognitive foundation that enables each stage to function effectively.

Surrounding the center are six interlinked stages that form the strategy loop:

1. Identify User Needs – Begin with ground-level insight: What problems are users trying to solve?
2. Map AI Opportunities – Explore where AI can enhance decisions, automate tasks, or unlock new value.
3. Foster Micro-Innovations – Encourage small, local experiments led by end-users and domain experts.
4. Build Trust and Feedback Loops – Ensure transparency, usability, and user input from day one.
5. Align Use Cases to Strategy – Scale what works and tie grassroots solutions to broader goals.
6. Feedback – Feedback insights, expand training, and grow AI fluency at all levels.

The loop emphasizes that strategy doesn’t start with a plan—it begins with people. AI adoption thrives when solutions are pulled from the ground up, not pushed from the top down.

This visual is intended for leaders, implementation teams, and educators working at the intersection of organizational change and emerging technology. It complements the “AI from the Ground Up” tree metaphor by focusing on process dynamics, making it ideal for slide decks, strategic workshops, and thought-leadership content.