The human element was at the forefront of digital consultancy Crimson’s recent innovation conference, but so too was virtual teamwork: collaboration between people and AI is critical for the future
Humans are the original cyborgs; we’ve created technology to augment our capabilities ever since the Stone Age, and today is no different – all-be-it the tools are vastly more sophisticated.
That may seem an odd way to introduce the Crimson Innovation Conference 2025, held in Solihull earlier this month, but it does kind of get to the heart of what the event was all about. Yes, it was about technology; nobody mentioned Neolithic times, but it very much focused attention on the human element.
Across the one-day conference’s programme, speakers and panellists explored how both generative and agentic AI serves to empower both staff and businesses, and take their operations to the next level – provided the technology is implemented right.
That’s a key caveat, and one that digital consultancy Crimson was keen to emphasise throughout; AI brings with it a powerful transformation promise, but like any tool it must be used appropriately. So there was plenty of food for thought for the 90-strong audience, and plenty of practical advice to take away.
Setting the scene
The event was introduced by Crimson’s marketing director, Mark Britton, who observed that AI was such a common theme of discussion these days, we might think its “running out of steam”; anything but, he went on to add.
“The ship hasn’t quite sailed yet,” he said. Indeed, as he explained in his introductory speech, and then demonstrated with a live Slido survey of the audience, uptake continues apace, and much remains to be achieved and delivered. From this, legacy systems emerged as the top contender among barriers to AI implementation and digital transformation.
Britton set the scene, but he didn’t dally; quickly moving on to introduce the first session of the day. This was provided by Dan Figueiredo, global AI strategist, from Microsoft, who delivered a presentation looking at the software giant’s AI roadmap.
Navigating the Intelligence Age, as he called the session, Figueiredo reminded the audience that we sit in the middle of a hype cycle, and it’s important to be aware of this, so he set about providing some much need context.
This included his own background in cognitive science, but also a brief excursion into the long history of AI development, from it long ‘slumber’ as a starry eyed concept, through key breakthroughs, to its sudden explosive emergence some three years ago.
If anyone in the audience expected a hard sell for Microsoft’s technology, this wasn’t it; rather an informed presentation; one that aimed to dispel the myths around AI as much as explore its capabilities.
Among those, he spoke of the need to remove the “mystical” and “magical” thinking that has arisen around the technology, and recognise that it is a tool. While he stressed the importance of not over-hyping the capabilities of AI, he also noted that we are only at the beginning of a profound AI shift.
“It’s integrating itself into our daily lives [now],” he said, “but it’s been there in the background for a while.”
Discussing the differences between generative and agentic AI, or indeed some combination of them working together, he told the audience that while he always recommends keeping a human in the loop, you can otherwise treat the agent as another employee. Indeed, integrating such virtual team members is now the new frontier of digital transformation.
For Figueiredo, the future is one of human-machine collaboration; a ‘joint venture’ he sees as key not only to unlocking productivity, but also faster creativity and innovative problem solving.
Digital build
Taylor Wimpey has set its sights on becoming the UK’s first digital housebuilder, and it’s no fanciful aspiration; the company is already walking the talk, as delegates to the innovation conference heard in the day’s first panel session.
Emilia Turner, IT business partner at the housebuilder was joined by Rhea Odedra, Microsoft account manager, to explain how the two companies worked together to navigate the journey towards a full-scale adoption of AI.
The lively panel was chaired by David Savage, technology evangelist at Nash Squared, and the founder of Tech Talks, who kept the audience’s questions flowing.
The importance of the human element quickly came to the fore, with Turner explaining how the company addressed the common fear of worker displacement; emphasising the technology’s role as a strategic enabler, not a replacement for staff.
Indeed, she pointed out that addressing this concern is key to achieving buy-in so that the journey can begin in earnest. Odedra, meanwhile, advised winning over the c-suite, too, as they can become powerful enablers of transformation.
The approach has paid dividends, so far, in the adoption of AI, with licences for Copilot rising from 300 to 2,000 across the business.
Convincing people to get on board is only part of the story of course. Another key part is in supporting staff as they transition to this brave new world of co-working with AI tools. Another is ensuring the right guardrails and security protocols are in place; all key elements of sound governance.
As Turner told the audience, Taylor Wimpey took the decision to block chatGPT on company machines; making it clear that only Copilot was acceptable for use. This was to ensure consistency, but also to maintain security. It also ensured that the AI tools could only generate results based on the company’s data.
“You are putting an incredibly powerful tool in people’s hands,” Odedra said, so it is vital to create the structure and culture for proper use.
Enter Nuvana
For the next three sessions, Crimson presented the fictional company Nuvana Health to illustrate the various stages of AI adoption using Copilot – including the pitfalls to avoid.
As a healthcare provider, Nuvana obviously deals with sensitive personal information; keeping that data safe and secure is paramount. However, as this meta-fictional case study highlights, the company has narrowly avoided a run-in with the Information Commissioner’s Office – and a potentially hefty fine.
As the first part of the ‘trilogy’ explained, a rather gung-ho approach to implementing Copilot across the business didn’t help. “Let’s switch it on and see what it does!” Nuvana’s boss, it’s fair to say got a hard wake-up call. But it could have been worse.
“Copilot should save you time, not cost you,” said Kieran Toon, the principal consultant at Crimson, who delivered the session.
The problem wasn’t with the AI tools themselves, but the company’s underlying legacy data, and a lack of due consideration and planning. That’s where Crimson comes in, Toon went on to explain, guiding Nuvana – and by extension the conference delegates – clear of the minefield, and back onto the path of successful adoption.
Toon focused on ensuring the right safeguards are in place, to protect data, but also ensure proper protocols exist for the use of AI tools. He also explained the issue with Nuvana’s corporate information and records; information was dispersed and fragmented across its system creating a legacy of unstructured data that meant a real risk of breaches in confidential data.
So, one critical first step was the implementation of proper data governance; including cleaning up the legacy data, identifying sensitive information, and organising its storage in a more defined and secure manner. If that sounds like a Stygian task, Toon explained the tools – Syntax and Purview – take the grind out of the process.
At the end of the day, he pointed out, it’s about taking control of the company’s data and ensuring it is not only secure but fit for purpose – a vital step for ensuring Copilot can do its work effectively. AI, after all, is only as good as its data.
After that, as Toon, went on to explain, rather than dive straight in at the deep end, Nuvana piloted its AI tools, assessed the results, reiterated, and tried again; start small, understand how it went, scale up in a measured manner, that was the moral of the tale.
“People need to know how to store and safeguard data,” Toon said, “and they need to know the risks associated with it … Whatever we do with AI, we should always do it in an ethical way.”
Having adequately prepared, and then safely implemented its Copilot AI shift, Toon stepped aside for his colleague Ollie Sinclair, Crimson’s chief technology officer, who went on to explain how Nuvana went on to accelerate its sales and marketing.
Peter Williams, principal consultant, then followed up, explaining how the company exploited the technology to deliver extra clout to its customer services operations. As with the first instalment, these session explored the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them, as much as extolling the potential of AI.
Finishing the Nuvana saga, Peter Williams and Steven banner – both principal consultants at Crimson – stepped up to explore how generative and agentic AI can empower operational excellence. Don’t worry, they also explained what they mean by that, too.
This focused on how Nuvana was able to do more with the resources at its disposal, especially critical as it had expanded operations to cover 15 new clinics. However, it still faced critical operational issues, with familiar challenges such as proper data management, effective communication, and ensuring they identified at-risk patients.
The two discussed how Copilot and Microsoft’s 365, together with Teams, created an effective operational hub. Meanwhile, each Agent was grounded in the company’s information to ensure accuracy and security.
Nuvana may be a fictional company, but it served its purpose as a ‘live’ case study to walk the audience through the practical, cultural, operational and technological realities of shifting to a human-AI mode of operation.
Though a healthcare company, it needs and requirements also had a clear resonance with the social housing sector; personal data and privacy, handling customers with empathy, and dealing with their needs in a timely manner.
The right approach
The benefits of a successful transition to AI were obviously part of the presentations, but the Crimson crew were equally intent on dispelling the myths and lazy thinking that has accrued around AI: it’s no miracle technology offering magic solutions.
It needs proper implementation and the right governance to make the most of its capabilities. As Crimson’s conference headed towards its final stretch, the penultimate session set out to explore how we prepare people for the age of digital employees.
The session took the form of a panel, chaired by Savage, and featuring Crimson’s Sincair; Christine Felthouse, PMO practice lead; Louise Clarke, recruitment services director, Crimson; and David Catmur-Lloyd, consultancy director, Crimson.
Between them, they explored the human side of AI, covering such issues as governance, how the technology can be used to free-up staff to focus on more value-added work, and otherwise encourage people and bring them along on the journey.
For Sinclair, part of it is about nurturing a sense of curiosity, though he admitted this can be a challenge. “If you anchor AI in purpose rather than productivity, you have a real opportunity,” he said.
A lot of organisations are time poor, Catmur-Lloyd noted, so the technology gives people that chance to “lift their head up” and look beyond their desk and think ahead. Taking out the grind so that staff can focus on the more rewarding aspects of the work is a theme put across by Clarke; it allows people to be more “forward thinking and proactive”.
A core theme throughout the session – and indeed the conference as a whole – was to keep the human in the loop; it’s about augmenting people and amplifying their capabilities, not switching them out for a robot model. With that, we circle back to the starting point about cyborgs…
Last, but by no means least, Professor Steve Peters – leading psychiatrist and author of Chimp Paradox – brought Crimson’s conference to a close with a fascinating – and entertaining – talk on the inner workings of the human brain.
Ironically, perhaps, given the professor’s subject is an entirely different kind of information-processing architecture, his talk echoed that notion of keeping the human in the loop. Keep that inner chimp calm and carry on…
Image credit: All courtesy of Crimson
Housing Digital Stakeholder Crimson transforms housing associations by solving their toughest challenges. Leveraging a vast talent network, Microsoft’s low-code technology, and data insights, we optimise property management, enhance tenant support, and streamline operations. Our innovative solutions improve repair communications, predict maintenance needs, monitor tenant wellbeing, and automate reporting for efficient and proactive management. Discover your AI readiness in five minutes.
Crimson is a headline partner for the Housing Innovation Show, taking place on 4-5-February 2026 at the ICC Birmingham
Ollie Sinclair, Crimson’s chief technology officer, will be speaking at day two of the event
To find out more, or to register your interest, then visit the Housing Innovation Show website here
Read next: Damp and mould: Knowledge is the cure
Are you a social housing professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.