Experience, Effectiveness, Efficiency: Johnson & Johnson’s AI Journey
Where AI Works: Conversations at the Intersection of AI and IndustryShow Notes
What does it take to scale AI across a global enterprise without breaking what already works? And how do you unlock value at scale — without losing sight of people, processes, and trust?
On this season finale episode of Where AI Works, host Serguei Netessine speaks with Ajay Anand, the Senior Vice President of Global Services, Strategy and Business Services at Johnson & Johnson, about how AI is transforming operations behind the scenes at the iconic global healthcare and medtech company. Together, they explore how shared services — spanning HR, finance, procurement, and more — are being reimagined through an AI-first lens, unlocking new value while improving speed, decision quality, and employee experience. They also discuss how GenAI tools like JAIDA are helping 138,000 employees navigate complex internal systems and policies, reducing friction and freeing up time for higher-value work. For business leaders navigating their own AI journeys, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at where to start, how to scale, and what it takes to turn AI from a technical experiment into a strategic operating capability.
Episode Highlights:
5:12 - Ajay explains how AI is being integrated into J&J’s processes and services, with a focus on improving complex interactions for the company’s 138,000 employees.
8:18 - Ajay discusses the KPIs — the “Three E framework” — that J&J uses to assess the effectiveness of its AI implementation efforts.
17:06 - Ajay lays out his four-point strategy for other business leaders who are looking to engage with traditional, generative, or agentic AI.
More from Where AI Works: Conversations at the Intersection of AI and Industry
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It’s a question that looms large for any business leader these days, but the stakes are even higher for those that manage massive workforces: as AI transforms the workplace, what happens to jobs and the people doing them? On this episode of Where AI Works, host Matthew Bidwell speaks with Donna Morris, the Chief People Officer at Walmart, about what it means to introduce AI across one of the largest workforces on the planet; more than 2.1 million associates around the world. Morris explains the company’s “people-led, tech-powered” approach, where AI is used to augment employees rather than replace them. She also discusses the emergence of new roles like AI agent-builders , and explores the skills that matter most in an AI-driven workplace. While technical expertise is important, Morris argues that adaptability, communication, curiosity, and interpersonal skills will define the most successful employees in the years ahead. For leaders navigating this rapid change, the takeaway is simple: invest in people, build new skills, and be sure to bring your workers along for the ride.
The way we think about jobs is changing. As artificial intelligence reshapes how work gets done, traditional roles and titles are giving way to something more fluid: a skills-based economy. But while organizations are moving quickly to redefine what they need, workers and educators are still catching up, creating a growing gap between the skills people claim to have and the capabilities employers truly value.