Take a look at our GBS Lions' Talks in Warsaw

Posted on: Dec 01, 2025

On 26 November 2025, Warsaw hosted the latest edition of GBS Lions’ Talks, Adaptive’s premier series of networking and knowledge-sharing events for professionals in the Global Business Services (GBS) sector. This edition explored the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence with the theme: Is AI Already a Mainstream Tool?

The event brought together industry leaders, GBS professionals, and AI enthusiasts for an evening of insights, practical cases, and engaging discussions.

Key Presentations

1. Key Barriers to AI Adoption – Paweł Płocki, Head of GBS Europe at Trumpf
Paweł discussed why AI adoption in GBS is still mostly experimental:

Experimental adoption: Pilots and proofs of concept dominate; full-scale transformation is rare.
Trust and hallucinations: AI errors remain a major concern, especially in unfamiliar domains.
Integration and legacy systems: Connecting AI to SAP, ticketing tools, and other systems introduces security and operational risks.
Cultural and skills challenges: AI adoption requires new workflows, trust in AI-supported decisions, and reskilled employees.
Regulatory uncertainty: GDPR and EU AI Act create compliance risks.
Hidden adoption: Employees often use AI informally, making productivity measurement and oversight difficult.

Key takeaway: AI in GBS is promising but remains experimental; adoption is limited by trust, integration, regulatory, and cultural barriers.

2. Change Management in AI & AI in Change Management – Grzegorz Ruszała, Senior Manager & OCM Lead at Adaptive Group
Grzegorz explored AI and Change Management from two perspectives:

AI without change management: Without structured change management, AI implementation can create stress, resistance, and disengagement among employees. Past cases (Amazon, Klarna, Meta) show the risks of neglecting adaptation processes.
AI as an enabler of change management: AI can support all five key elements of Change Management—roles, communication, resistance management, training—enhancing adoption and streamlining transitions.

Key takeaway: Integrating change management strategies is critical for AI adoption, and AI itself can improve the change process.

3. AI-First Strategy at Moderna – Marcin Jaśniaczyk, Senior Operational Excellence Manager at Moderna
Marcin shared the AI-first strategy at Moderna Warsaw, mandated at the CEO level, with the goal of 100% active AI usage in daily work, rather than cost reduction. Key insights include:

Employee-driven AI adoption: Staff create their own AI agents (e.g., FinBot, Email Assistant, Furious Diplomat).
Behavioural change over technology: AI adoption is framed as a shift in work habits, reinforced through Lean principles and skill-building.
Gamified learning & AI champions: Engagement is driven through gamified challenges, poster sessions, and visible AI champions.
Practical adoption focus: Daily use cases and adoption metrics ensured widespread engagement.

Key takeaway: AI adoption succeeds when it is treated as a cultural and behavioural transformation, supported by training and empowerment rather than just technology.

4. From AI Experimentation to Predictable Impact – Tomasz Gawlik, Associate Director, Business Technology Partner at Alcon
Tomasz showcased how AI delivers measurable business outcomes through an Alcon sales use case:

Planning & prioritization: AI ranks client visits based on predicted impact.
Pre-call preparation: Aggregated customer data and recommended messaging on one page.
Call execution & reporting: AI guides sales reps and automates reporting.
Product-Oriented Delivery (PODs): Small, cross-functional teams own end-to-end AI use cases, accelerating deployment and minimizing reliance on external resources.

Key takeaway: Structured, end-to-end, cross-functional AI implementation delivers tangible business results and stakeholder trust.

Overall Key Insights

AI in GBS is still experimental – pilots and proofs of concept dominate, with cultural, technical, and regulatory barriers.
Change management is critical – AI adoption fails without structured adaptation processes; AI can also enhance change strategies.
Behavioural change drives adoption – framing AI as a shift in daily work, supported by skills development and employee champions, is more effective than ROI-focused initiatives.
Measurable impact is achievable – cross-functional, product-oriented teams delivering end-to-end AI solutions produce real business value.

The evening concluded with a wine reception and networking session, allowing attendees to discuss insights, share experiences, and explore potential collaborations in a relaxed setting.

GBS Lions’ Talks Warsaw provided actionable knowledge, inspiration, and practical guidance for navigating AI adoption in the GBS sector, reaffirming its role as a must-attend forum for industry professionals.

Stay tuned for the next edition of GBS Lions’ Talks – a place where innovation, expertise, and networking converge to shape the future of GBS.