In the electronics and supply chain industry, Artificial Intelligence is the loudest topic in the room.
But at Component Sense, we know that buying software is the easy part. The hard part is bridging the gap between a powerful new tool and the people who have to use it every day.
Our Head of Technical Operations at Component Sense recently reflected on our internal journey toward AI adoption. It serves as a reminder that, in a high-tech industry, the "human touch" remains the most critical variable.
Here is his take on the AI Perception Gap:
- By Greg Young, Head of Technical Operations at Component Sense
Here’s an uncomfortable truth for anyone leading AI adoption: you probably think your team is more on board than they actually are.
Recent research from Harvard Business Review found a striking disconnect. Executives believe their workforce is informed and enthusiastic about AI. Meanwhile, employees report confusion, anxiety, and feeling excluded from decisions that will shape their working lives.
When I first got excited about AI tools, I made a classic mistake. I wanted to change everything, immediately. I’d discovered what felt like a superpower and couldn’t understand why everyone wasn’t as fired up as I was.
What I hadn’t done was treat this as what it really is: change management.
I was thinking about technology. I should have been thinking about people. I was several steps ahead, shouting back at colleagues who couldn’t see what I was looking at. No wonder it didn’t land.
The real turning point for me came from an AI leadership course run by Scottish Enterprise. It reframed everything. AI adoption isn’t a technology challenge; it’s a people challenge. And like any change management effort, it requires patience, planning, and meeting people where they are.
Here’s what I’ve learned since: most people who “give up” on generative AI aren’t giving up because the tools are bad. They’re giving up because they tried it once, got mediocre results, and concluded it wasn’t for them.
The issue isn’t the AI. It’s the prompting.
When I’ve spent time sitting with colleagues, showing them how to drive these tools properly, the reaction is completely different. You see the moment it clicks. They realise what’s actually achievable, and suddenly they’re not sceptical anymore. They’re curious.
At Component Sense, we’re a team of around 30 people spread across the globe. That’s small enough to make this personal. I’m not rolling out some corporate training programme with mandatory modules and completion certificates. I’m having conversations.
I still let myself get excited about this stuff. That’s not going to change. But I’ve learned to pause before broadcasting that excitement to the whole team. To think about the bigger picture.
To remember that change management means walking with people, not sprinting ahead and wondering why they’re not keeping up.
If you’re leading AI adoption in your organisation, the question isn’t “how do I get my team excited about AI?”
It’s “how do I understand their friction points, show them how these tools can help, and build something that makes us stronger?”
The technology will keep advancing. But none of that matters if your people aren’t with you. Lead from the front, but make sure you’re leading in a way that works for everyone.
At Component Sense, we aren't just adopting AI to be "trendy." We are adopting it to build a stronger, more efficient team that can better serve our partners and customers.
Technology is the engine, but our people are the drivers. By ensuring our team and your team know how to drive these tools effectively, we don’t just move faster; we move smarter.