Generative AI has rapidly moved from the realm of technological curiosity to a core driver of business transformation. Yet, as organizations race to harness its potential, a new challenge has emerged: aligning the strategic vision of the C-suite with the practical innovation bubbling up from the V-suite—vice presidents, directors, and practitioners who are closest to the work. The 2025 Generative AI Innovation Report reveals that while executives and practitioners both recognize the transformative power of generative AI, their perspectives, priorities, and risk appetites often diverge. Understanding and bridging this divide is essential for organizations seeking to unlock the full value of generative AI while maintaining governance and control.
The C-suite—CEOs, CFOs, and other top executives—tend to focus on high-visibility, customer-facing use cases for generative AI, such as customer experience, service, and sales. Their priorities are shaped by the need to drive growth, manage risk, and protect the organization’s reputation. As a result, they are often more cautious, with over half expressing heightened concern about the risks and ethical implications of generative AI compared to other emerging technologies.
In contrast, the V-suite—VPs, directors, and practitioners—see generative AI’s potential across a broader range of functions, including operations, HR, and finance. They are more likely to experiment with new tools, identify novel use cases, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. Their proximity to day-to-day challenges gives them a unique vantage point to spot opportunities that may be invisible from the boardroom. However, this bottom-up innovation can also introduce risks, such as shadow IT, duplicated efforts, and inconsistent governance.
The generative AI revolution is, in many ways, a grassroots movement. Just as the spinning jenny of the Industrial Revolution emerged from the factory floor, today’s most impactful generative AI solutions are often conceived and piloted by practitioners. The 2025 Generative AI Innovation Report highlights that:
This decentralized experimentation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it accelerates innovation and surfaces high-value use cases that might otherwise be overlooked. On the other, it can lead to shadow IT—where teams deploy their own AI tools without central oversight—exposing the organization to data security, regulatory, and reputational risks.
Shadow IT is a growing concern as generative AI tools become more accessible. When practitioners adopt public or pre-built AI solutions without IT or risk office involvement, organizations face several dangers:
The C-suite’s heightened focus on risk is not misplaced. However, a zero-risk policy can stifle innovation. The key is to strike a balance—empowering practitioners to experiment while establishing guardrails that protect the organization.
To harness the full potential of generative AI, organizations must bridge the gap between top-down strategy and bottom-up innovation. The following strategies, drawn from the latest research and real-world experience, can help:
Rather than betting everything on a few flagship projects, organizations should cultivate a balanced portfolio of generative AI initiatives. This approach allows for both large-scale, strategic investments and smaller, practitioner-led experiments. By tracking and supporting a range of projects, leaders can identify what works, scale successful pilots, and sunset those that don’t deliver value.
Effective generative AI adoption requires strong communication between the business, IT, and risk functions. Leaders should actively seek out innovators within the organization, create forums for sharing best practices, and use generative AI itself to manage and disseminate information about ongoing projects. Regular engagement between the CIO’s office and the risk office is essential to ensure that experimentation does not outpace governance.
Practitioners and domain experts are closest to the problems generative AI can solve. Empowering them to experiment—within a framework of clear guidelines—unlocks creativity and accelerates value creation. Upskilling programs, internal innovation arms, and dedicated sandboxes for safe experimentation can all help practitioners innovate responsibly.
Rather than banning unsanctioned tools outright, organizations should provide secure, enterprise-grade AI platforms that meet practitioners’ needs. By making it easy for teams to access approved tools, leaders can reduce the temptation to go rogue while maintaining oversight and compliance.
One of the biggest challenges in generative AI adoption is defining and measuring success. Organizations should establish clear metrics for evaluating pilots and experiments, focusing on business outcomes rather than just technical achievements. Successful initiatives should be scaled across the enterprise, while learnings from failures should inform future efforts.
Ultimately, bridging the C-suite and V-suite divide is as much about culture as it is about technology. Leaders must foster an environment where experimentation is encouraged, failure is seen as a learning opportunity, and collaboration is the norm. As the 2025 Generative AI Innovation Report notes, “A zero-risk policy is a zero-innovation policy.” Courage, confidence, and people skills are essential for harnessing the power of bottom-up innovation.
Publicis Sapient stands at the intersection of strategy and execution, helping organizations bridge the gap between leadership vision and practitioner ingenuity. Our approach combines:
Wherever you are on your generative AI journey, Publicis Sapient can help you unlock the full value of this transformative technology—aligning strategy with grassroots innovation to drive measurable business outcomes.
The generative AI revolution is not a top-down mandate or a bottom-up rebellion—it is a collaborative journey. By bridging the divide between the C-suite and the V-suite, organizations can harness the creativity of their people, manage risk, and build a sustainable foundation for AI-powered growth. The future belongs to those who can innovate from the ground up—while keeping their eyes on the horizon.