Beyond Budgeting for AI: Building the Human OS into OPEX
Everyone’s talking about how to budget for AI.
What rarely gets airtime is how AI can’t scale unless the Human OS scales with it.
The Hidden Budget Blind Spot
he BBC recently highlighted how AI is prompting companies to rethink IT and HR — bringing the two together under new leaders who architect ‘how work is done’. This is becoming crucial, as a “hidden drag” causes friction friction between HR and IT that quietly sabotages adoption and ROI.
At the root of this transition? A budgeting mindset.
Technology is treated as a capital expense (CAPEX) — a one-time purchase, an asset on the books.
But adoption, speed, and value creation live in the Human Infrastructure that powers it. This isn’t a one-and-done line item. It’s an ongoing operating expense (OPEX).
No CIO would invest in servers once and then expect them to run untouched for a decade. They plan for upgrades, patches, and monitoring. Yet people are still treated differently — a one-time training event, a ticked box, and then left to figure it out.
The reality: Human Infrastructure, like technical infrastructure, requires continuous investment.
CIO + CPO: The Critical Alliance
For AI to deliver, tech and people need to be funded as one system. That makes the CIO and the CPO natural allies:
CIO ensures the technology backbone is solid and scalable.
CPO ensures the people using it are aligned, skilled, and engaged.
When they budget in silos, adoption slows, consulting spend balloons, and ROI stays theoretical.
When they budget together, the organization starts to move as one.
The CFO still matters — but mainly as the audience. Finance needs clear ROI language: reduced rework, faster adoption, lower external spend. That’s what secures the budget line.
Old Way vs New Way of Budgeting
This new way of thinking about people and technology requires a new way of budgeting for technology — one that aligns with the current movement toward merging HR and IT.
New Way
Ongoing Human OS investment as OPEX
CIO + CPO fund Human Infrastructure together
Redirect spend into building internal capability
ROI measured in adoption speed, reduced consulting spend, alignment gains
Old Way
One-time training events tied to rolloutsHR funds “soft skills,”
IT funds “systems training”
Consulting spend grows each year to patch gaps
ROI measured only in system uptime
Practical Moves for CIO + CPO Alignment
While this major evolution in how we do things will take time, CIOs and CPOs can take steps toward alignment and a more collaborative future. Here’s how.
Create a Shared Line Item
Establish a Human Infrastructure budget line across tech + people.
Pair Every Tech Spend With a Human OS Allocation
For every $1M in tech, set aside 10–20% for adoption, skills, and alignment.
Turn Consulting Costs Into Capability
Audit last year’s external spend and redirect part of it into equipping your people.
Frame It for Finance
Don’t sell it as “soft skills.” Sell it as cost avoidance: less rework, faster adoption, lower external dependency.
How We Can Help
At the Digital Wisdom Collective, we don’t just make the case for Human Infrastructure — we implement it. Our pilot approach gives CIOs and CPOs a safe way to bring the Human OS to life inside their organization and prove its value.
What this looks like in practice:
Bringing CIO and CPO together to align on priorities and reduce silos.
Reviewing AI use cases with an eye on data, technology, and people readiness.
Equipping ambassadors inside the pilot to inspire and elevate their peers.
Supporting adoption with mentoring, reflection, and practical tools.
Defining and tracking the metrics that matter, so Finance sees tangible results.
The outcome isn’t a one-off training. It’s a living pilot that embeds Human Infrastructure into your AI initiatives — producing insights, stories, and numbers that help secure a dedicated Human Infrastructure line item in the next budget cycle.
👉 Want to know where your organization stands today? Start with our Digital Wisdom Maturity Assessment — a quick way to see your baseline and what’s possible.