How To Turn AI Pilots Into Business Impact That Lasts: A Q&A With Atlassian’s People & AI Leader

For many businesses, adopting AI is proving simpler than translating those investments into measurable results.

In fact, most executives surveyed by Atlassian said they struggle to point to clear AI ROI across their organizations.

To help close that gap, Atlassian recently launched its Forward Deployed Engineering program, which embeds applied AI engineers directly alongside customer teams to build and deploy AI solutions tailored to their specific business needs.

Forbes interviewed Avani Solanki Prabhakar, Atlassian’s chief people and AI enablement officer, to learn why conventional approaches to AI implementation are falling short and what it takes to turn experimentation into tangible business value.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question 01

Why is now the right time to launch Atlassian's new Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) program?

There’s a massive gap between AI hype and actual business impact today. In our State of Teams report, we found that 85% of workers are using AI, but only 6% of execs can point to real ROI. That’s a stark reality.

Our approach to the Atlassian FDE program is focused on closing that gap by putting builders — true applied AI engineers, not consultants — directly into the customer’s environment. Beyond just handing over a tool or a model, we’re embedding the engineering expertise needed to turn complex operational needs into working systems.

It’s about moving from experimentation to production value, and we’re all in.

“There’s a massive gap between AI hype and actual business impact today.”

Question 02

What does embedding engineers directly within customer teams enable that a more traditional AI implementation approach doesn't?

Traditional implementation often treats AI as a layer you just 'add' on top of old habits. But we’ve seen time and again that that doesn't work. By embedding engineers full-time, we get to the 'how' of the work.

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