Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter about AI not delivering the promised results. Some even blame it for last week's market drop.
But let’s be real—who actually believed AI would revolutionize the world in just few months? 🙄
I've seen many digital transformation projects over the years, and unless all the stars align, the timelines are never short. And when a project is driven by FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) or rushed with a "we have to be there" mindset, it often fails.
As you'll read in the book “Hire an AI in your organization” (Coming soon, I promise!), organizations are slow to embrace new things and often think only about doing old things in new ways rather than doing new things by leveraging AI's capabilities.
Organizations often adopt new technologies, thinking they can immediately use them to improve existing processes, but this approach limits AI's true potential.
So, it's wise to arm yourselves with patience and, regardless of what the media says, prepare for...
Hiring AI in Your Company
When I talk about bringing AI into a company with some managers or entrepreneurs, I often encounter two main expectations.
Doing the Same Things Cheaper
This is the starting point for most companies. AI automates routine tasks, like chatbots for customer service or automatic translation services.
Doing the Same Things Better
Over time, companies begin to see opportunities for qualitative improvements. For example, a major airline is starting to manage its complaints inbound with AI, reducing costs and improving overall service quality. Others engage with sales or marketing to improve their margins and attract new customers.
But rarely do I hear about...
Doing New Things That Were Previously Impossible
This is where AI's true potential is seen. It's not just about doing things faster but doing things that were previously unthinkable. Rethink your business model, create new projects, and completely rethink processes.
The Challenge of Digital Transformation
Most companies are stuck in the 'same old things' and only use AI to cut costs or slightly improve existing processes. This approach misses the opportunity to rethink their business model strategically. The real challenge is to move beyond this "limbo" and leverage AI to do entirely new things.
But it's not a task that can be accomplished in just a few weeks.
It's not AI's fault if its effectiveness is still low, but rather how it is applied and the timelines that are necessarily longer than vendors would like.
AI is a medium- to long-term challenge where...
It's important to jump in immediately so as not to miss the path all your competitors are probably taking (without FOMO, though)
Don't be scared if AI is not ready to be "good enough" to do what you want—it will get there.
By bringing it into daily activities, you will see the first small benefits, and over time, ideas on its use will spontaneously arise.
You need a method: hoping to soon emerge from the hype where every media talks about it incorrectly, those who dedicate time to its systematic introduction into the company will succeed.
How Can There Be a Method for Such a New Technology?
Everything changes at lightning speed; today's best model is neither yesterday's nor tomorrow's. New revolutions are announced weekly. How is it possible to structure a method that lasts over time under these conditions?
Well, if you look back, that's what you did when PCs, email, and the internet arrived. You started using them little by little until the old tools became useless, and you threw away typewriters and fax machines and gave your stamps to your children (someone else remembers this besides me, right?).
Despite this chaos, some constants are always found, allowing you to establish a rough route to follow.
I tried, and in the book, I present AI-PLUG, a methodology we have been experimenting with in some companies since the beginning of the year, and it is yielding the first fruits.
It is undoubtedly destined to change over time, but one of its principles is to adapt and constantly evolve.
In short:
AI-PLUG: A Methodology for Hiring AI
A - Awareness: Recognize AI’s potential and create urgency for change. Align leadership and form a multidisciplinary AI-TEAM.
I - Ignite: Kick off the AI journey with workshops, knowledge sharing, and innovation spaces to build excitement and prepare for practical adoption.
P - Practice: Use AI in daily routines to solve minor problems and get immediate feedback. This demystifies AI and makes it accessible to everyone.
L - Learn: Foster a culture of continuous improvement. Practice leads to learning, which leads to new practices, creating a virtuous innovation cycle.
U - Understand: Comprehend AI’s strategic and tactical implications. Evaluate how AI can contribute to business goals, ensuring initiatives align with the overall strategy.
G - Generate Value: Implement the first AI project, capitalizing on the knowledge gained in the first 100 days. This is just the start of a continuous innovation cycle.
This Journey can typically be done in 100 days, but It also depends on How Fast Your Company Is.
The best is yet to come!
The first period is only to UNDERSTAND and start generating value.
The real projects, those that change things in the company, will take, as always, a few months and maybe a few years because...
“When It Comes to the Future of Your Company, the Status Quo Is an Enemy.” Salim Ismail, Exponential Organizations
e ogni organizzazione è basata sullo status quo.
And every organization is based on the status quo.
So What...
Resist the temptation to overhaul your company in 1 month; it's unrealistic, and avoid paying too much attention to those who think it can be done.
Don’t worry if today’s AI is not perfect: it will continue to improve more and more in the coming years.
The important thing is to start immersing yourself in this new reality, making it daily, and only when you have understood it, with patience, to define a strategy.
Only this will allow you to connect the dots that only you, knowing your business, will learn how to connect.
And then you can start doing previously impossible things to even think about!
Keep Calm, and Remember that AI is a Journey!
Massimiliano
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