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Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we work. At Nitor, we want to ensure that change happens in a thoughtful, responsible and human-centric way. To turn that goal into everyday action and impact, we established the AI Culture Team.
The cross-functional AI Culture Team was founded at the beginning of 2026. The team aims to lower the threshold and encourage Nitoreans to adopt AI in a mindful and responsible way. At the same time, the team acts as an internal advisor on AI use, risk assessment, documentation and oversight.
The EU AI Act imposes governance obligations on companies that develop or deploy AI. A widely recommended best practice for meeting these is to form a dedicated cross-functional group, which helps build internal understanding and establish consistent ways of working with AI.
Nitor’s AI Culture Team brings together participants from across the business who share the understanding that responsible AI is a collective responsibility, not the concern of any single function. By including legal, tech, design, cybersecurity, communications, and sustainability and ethics, the team can consider AI from multiple perspectives and drive meaningful adoption across the company.
“The foundation is built on the idea that knowledge within the team can be taken to each member’s own field of expertise. AI impacts everyone’s work, but not in the same way. We also need to stay on top of the rapidly evolving AI landscape from all relevant perspectives,” Nitor’s Sustainability Director Ari Koli explains.
Pioneering responsible AI every single day
The AI Culture Team has already laid the foundation by creating the Nitor AI policy, a practical handbook, and an asset register for AI tools. The aim is to ensure Nitoreans know which tools to use, how to use them, and what considerations to keep in mind.
Additionally, there is a strong culture of sharing through AI Monthlies and peer-led sessions that cover everything from coding experiments to design use cases. Mandatory AI literacy training addresses ethical issues such as bias and explainability. Joint sessions make learning a shared experience rather than a top-down mandate.
“People are at very different stages. Some are advanced AI users, while others might only use Microsoft Copilot for basic summaries. Levels of expertise vary greatly, and our clients also have a wide range of policies – many are not even allowed to use certain tools. It can be challenging to jump on board alone when the train is already moving,” notes Paula Ikonen, Principal Designer at Nitor.
As experienced consultants, Nitoreans need to support their clients in AI adoption. Since not all consultants have the same opportunities to use AI in client work, it’s crucial to level the playing field by providing different learning opportunities.
“Many of our clients experience a sense of urgency and uncertainty, wondering where to begin, which tools to choose, and how workflows should be structured. The journey can feel daunting, and we want our experts to be able to advise on which tools are most suitable and how best to integrate them into everyday work,” Ikonen continues.
Annika Madejska, Digital Ethicist and Senior Designer at Nitor, adds: ”AI doesn't only impact our work, it also impacts our wellbeing. When AI introduces more multitasking, context switching, and intensified work, it can lead to cognitive overload and mental fatigue. This is yet another challenge for organisations to tackle, as the employees and teams need to figure out how to counter the AI brain fry.”
AI governance model as a gateway, not a gatekeeper
The AI Culture Team is also responsible for ensuring that Nitor’s governance approach remains current and credible. Governance has a reputation for hindering innovation and increasing bureaucracy, but at Nitor, it is seen as a way to drive business value and build trust.
“In practice, governance creates clarity on how decisions are made and how ownership, accountability and oversight are organised. At Nitor, the purpose of AI governance is not to add bureaucracy, but to make responsible AI use easy to adopt at scale,” Koli explains.
A good AI governance model makes day-to-day work smoother by providing structure on roles, decision paths and shared principles. At the same time, Nitor can reduce shadow IT by making secure, enterprise-grade tools available and by explaining which data can be used where and why.
“When the guardrails are clear, people feel confident taking the next step. A well-designed AI governance model provides assurance in everyday work and enables the secure use of AI. We know which tools are used, for what purpose, with what data, and under which constraints, without turning daily experimentation into a heavy process,” says Nitor’s CIO Erkki Pulliainen.
The AI governance model was built to support speed. Many organisations run extensive legal and audit processes that may take months before a tool can be approved. Nitor’s model is intentionally more responsive: the AI Culture Team provides a clear path to a “green light” for tools and use cases, without forcing individuals to start from scratch.
Nitor’s CTO Mika Majakorpi highlights the team’s role as a practical enabler:
“The AI Culture Team is a tool for everyday decision-making. If I want to introduce more AI at Nitor, I can double-check it with the AI Culture Team. If it goes through, it’s unlikely that we are doing something fundamentally wrong. On the contrary, it leads to faster learning and safer adoption.”
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