Don't Let the Buzz Turn Into a Sting

I drank a bee. 

Outside enjoying a Diet Dr. Pepper out of the can. 

Phone rings (back when I had a landline).

Take the call inside. Return to patio. Take a swig of the doctor....

OMG.

Stung on the tongue, and on the roof of my mouth. Spit out an angry, soda-soaked bee onto the table.

Not my favorite afternoon. 

Once the pain subsided (which was not soon), I thought "Why do they make cans opaque? If I could see INSIDE the can, this never would have happened."

And then I realized it was not the can's fault, it was my own. 

I could very easily have poured that soda into a glass, with ice. But because I wanted to consume it without delay, I just popped the top and dove right in. 

And the more I work with companies trying to integrate AI into their operations, the more I see them making the same mistake...they are choosing expediency despite the risk of opacity.

The race to adopt AI and reap its efficiency benefits before competitors do is both real and warranted. 

BUT, what I'm seeing are a lot of businesses just treating AI like a holistic construct, saying "we need to get us some of that AI" without any regard to the many, many, MANY different aspects of AI. 

This feels a lot like 12-ish years ago when brands said "get us some of that social media I've heard so much about."

The buzz of AI is hiding the very real possibility of a bee hiding inside the can. The sting of AI missteps can be pretty painful: data loss, ethical lapses, corporate liability, and even efficiency REDUCTION by going down the wrong path and having to reverse course.

I'm not suggesting you shouldn't be working today to incorporate AI into your workflows. You must. But only if you have first done the foundational work of identifying WHAT you want AI to do for you, and WHY.

You need to answer all of these questions first, to avoid the sting:

What processes can AI do faster? Which can it do better? Who will be at the controls? What are the business' guidelines for AI usage? Who will train your people how to use AI? What AI tools do you need to gain the faster/better benefits?

You have to have a plan for AI before you commit to AI. And right now, there's a lot of running around without a map. 

This is a big part of my new keynote about practical AI adoption and integration.

And if you want help to create and implement your own AI rollout plan, let's talk about it.

The Books Report

I book that encapsulates my entire thesis on business! 

David Avrin has really done it this time. His new book: Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With: a practical guide to giving customers what they want - how and when they want it 

is exactly that. A practical, easy guide that every business owner and manager should read. 

Easy always wins! 

Jay's Faves

LLAMA is a super fun card game for all ages. 

It plays in minutes, and has rules simple enough that you don't need to read them.

And, the game itself is small enough that you can carry it in a pocket to play in a restaurant, train, or boat. 

LLAMA is like UNO, but faster, more competitive, and less punitive. And it's only $11.

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