The Human Edge in AI: Why Every AI Team Needs a Business Relationship Manager
The most expensive problem in AI adoption right now isn’t the technology. It’s the gap.
You have brilliant Engineers building models, agents, and tools. You have business leaders who need results this quarter. Somewhere between those two groups, value quietly disappears.
One observation I’ve made from being part of AI teams is that technical expertise alone isn’t always enough to maximize the value of great work. Teams also benefit from people who can connect stakeholders, translate complex ideas, and communicate outcomes in a way that resonates with the broader business. It’s a role that aligns closely with the strengths many Business Relationship Managers bring to the table.
That person isn’t optional anymore. It’s the difference between AI that looks impressive in demos and AI that moves the numbers.
If an organization wants to advance its use of AI, it obviously needs to hire a technical team of Machine Learning and AI Engineers to build the tools. What’s needed next is to hire a Business Relationship Manager to connect the right AI opportunities and capabilities to the right business problems. Just because you build it doesn’t mean it will be applied to the right problem, in the right way, at the right time.
That last mile is where most organizations are bleeding money and momentum right now, and that’s exactly where a Business Relationship Manager fits in. The BRM is keenly aware of where the organization has been, where it is now, and where it’s going, that’s exactly what makes a BRM able to advise what AI opportunity to take on next.
Keep Your Flavor and Your Edge
Use AI. Learn AI. Get your hands on it and in it and soak it up. It isn’t going anywhere, and your organization almost certainly wants to adopt it as fast as it can. You as the BRM need to get on that train; automate the routine, low-value work off your plate, and do so aggressively.
Then, protect the parts that cannot be automated.
For me, that’s emotional intelligence. It’s getting the right minds to the table and keeping diverse perspectives in the room. It’s brining lightheartedness and fun under pressure. It’s organization, and it’s leadership. For years I’ve been able to rally a team around a common goal and get us there together. AI isn’t changing that, and I won’t let it change that. It’s who I am, and who I’m going to stay.
This flavor, this edge, are the qualities I’m going to lean into even harder as the parts of my world get automated. I am still Andrea, and what I bring doesn’t shrink just because AI is on the table. If anything, the more AI enters an organization, the more these human
capabilities matter. The organizations pulling ahead aren’t the ones with the flashiest tools, they’re the ones deliberately investing in people who can hold both the technical possibility and the business reality in the same conversation, and drive action from that intersection.
What Happens When a BRM Bridges AI and Business
At my organization, I didn’t just advise, I built the bridges:
· Created a Coding Agents Community of Practice so technical capability could spread beyond the core team
· Led an AI Ambassador Community that created AI champions and experts in every company department
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Ran an AI Ideas Campaign that surfaced real business problems from our users to drive AI excitement and experimentation
· Launched an AI Spotlight Series that made progress visible across our enterprise
· Built an AI Training Plan for IT to empower our technical team
These aren’t theoretical frameworks. They’re concrete initiatives that enhanced AI adoption at my organization and are simple enough to take back to yours.
What You’ll Hear From Me at BRMConnect 2026
I’ll be there as both your emcee and a speaker (so excited!) and you’ll hear a variety of topics from me:
· Why the human element isn’t a nice-to-have in the age of AI. It’s critical, and the thing that truly makes a BRM a BRM
· The magic of BRM that’s unique to what we do and bring every day. We are magical, aren’t we??
· What you can do as a BRM to accelerate AI adoption in your enterprise, including the specific steps behind the programs above
· Why the importance of a BRM hasn’t decreased in this age of AI, it’s only growing stronger
Success depends on more than the technology itself. It requires alignment, communication, and shared understanding across the business. Business Relationship Managers help bridge those gaps, ensuring that innovative work is understood, supported, and adopted by the people it is meant to serve. Let’s talk about it together!