Developing an IT strategy to leverage AI requires a clear understanding of business needs and objectives to ensure alignment. The CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition emphasizes that the first step in strategic IT planning is to identify and document business requirements, as these drive the development of an IT strategy that supports enterprise goals.

Extract from CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition (Domain 4: Strategic Management):"The development of an IT strategy begins with a thorough understanding of business requirements and objectives. Documenting requirements mapped to business functions ensures that the IT strategy is aligned with enterprise goals and delivers value." (Approximate reference: Domain 4, Section on Strategic Alignment)

Documenting requirements mapped to each business function (option A) ensures that the AI strategy is tailored to specific business needs, such as improving customer experience, optimizing operations, or enhancing decision-making. This step precedes technical or operational considerations, as it establishes the foundation for the strategy.

Why not the other options?

B. Benchmark how other IT organizations are leveraging AI: Benchmarking is useful for gaining insights but is a secondary step that should follow the identification of business requirements. Without clear requirements, benchmarking may lead to irrelevant comparisons.

C. Define the IT infrastructure requirements for AI implementation: Infrastructure requirements are technical details that come after understanding business needs and defining the scope of AI use cases.

D. Define an operational level agreement (OLA) between IT and business functions: OLAs are operational agreements that support implementation, not strategy development. They are premature at this stage.