AI Champions Network

A formally-identified network of 1 AI champion per team — the person who builds, ships, and evangelizes AI workflows inside their function. Champions get a bi-weekly forum, cash prizes for shipped wins ($2K / $1K / $0.5K tier), and a named seat in the AI transformation office. Replaces top-down "everyone must use Claude" memos with peer-led adoption.

Top-down AI adoption stalls at ~15% real usage (people "try" and abandon). Peer-led champion networks lift adoption to 60–80%+ over 6–12 months because adopters trust someone in their own function showing real wins from real workflows. A consulting deliverable for a large fintech identified 19 champions (7 Core + 12 Extended) as the spine of its 4-week launch plan.

1. Survey every team for "who's already using AI for >10 hours/week" — these self-identify your champions.
2. Promote 7–10 to Core Champions (build/deploy/evangelize; weekly forum; dedicated time allocation).
3. Add Extended Champions (1 per team) — bi-weekly forum, smaller time allocation.
4. Define a public artifact — an internal org map showing Sponsor + Core + Extended tiers with one-line "fact" per person.
5. Bi-weekly challenges with cash prizes: build/ship/measure within 2 weeks.
6. Champions present wins at all-hands; champion-built workflows become company-standard.
7. Reset quarterly — promote, retire, recruit.

• Don't appoint champions top-down based on title — appoint based on observed AI usage. Anointing the wrong person ("oldest engineer in each team") destroys the network's credibility before the second forum.