Start With Why AI

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the growing trend of enterprise leaders feeling pressured to use AI in their solutions, even when it may not be the best approach. It emphasizes the importance of starting with the business problem first, and then determining if AI is the right solution, rather than the other way around.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Irony of Enterprise Leaders Seeking AI Advice

1. What is the irony that the author mentions regarding enterprise leaders seeking AI advice?

• The author mentions that many enterprise leaders come to them for AI advice, when in reality, AI may not be what they actually need to solve their business challenges.

2. What is the author's advice for addressing the "AI elephant in the room"?

• The author advises that the fastest way to derail enterprise value is to throw AI at problems that are either poorly defined or better suited to non-AI solutions, without considering other potential solutions.

3. What is the author's perspective on the use of traditional programming approaches versus AI solutions?

• The author states that traditional programming approaches, which offer greater control and reliability, would often be better suited to solve the complex business challenges that these leaders face, compared to AI solutions.

[02] The Pressure to Use AI

1. What trend does the author describe regarding leaders and managers feeling pressured to use AI?

• The author describes a growing trend where leaders and managers feel pressured to "find" some AI to include in their solutions, regardless of whether it is the right solution for the problem.

2. What is the author's advice for combating this pressure to use AI?

• The author advises to "Start with why, then why AI" - meaning to first focus on the business problem you are trying to solve, and then determine if AI is the appropriate solution, rather than starting with the desire to use AI.

[03] Appropriate Use of AI

1. What does the author say about the appropriate use of AI?

• The author states that AI should only be used when the problem being solved is so intricate that it cannot be solved through traditional programming approaches. AI introduces complexity and reduces reliability compared to traditional methods, so it should be used judiciously.

2. What does the author say about the role of the project leader when using AI?

• The author emphasizes that if AI is going to be used, the project leader needs to be extremely well-versed in how to properly utilize and manage the AI system.

3. What does the author say about the only time it's safe to ignore the advice about appropriate AI use?

• The author states that the only time it's safe to ignore the advice about appropriate AI use is when failure is a good option, such as in the case of spam bot farms that operate at scale and don't need to work every time.

[04] Identifying and Deploying Successful Enterprise AI

1. What does the author recommend for identifying use cases suitable for enterprise-scale automation?

• The author does not provide specific recommendations in the given text, but states that the article's new course teaches how to identify use cases suitable for enterprise-scale automation.

2. What does the author say about how to design, test, and deploy AI systems to drive growth and minimize risk?

• Again, the author does not provide specific details in the given text, but states that the new course teaches how to design, test, and deploy AI systems to drive growth and minimize risk for the organization.