AI in the Palm of Your Hand

Breaking the Rules

One of the coolest things about America is the way we sometimes break rules. The clearest sign that generative AI and AI have value at work is the fact that, according to a recent survey by the firm writer.com, over a third (35%) of employees personally pay out of pocket for AI tools used at their job — 32% of this customer base is in financial services and 23% in healthcare/life sciences.

Avoiding the Obvious

My co-authors and I predicted in a 2023 Harvard Business Review article, “Where Should Your Company Start with GenAI,” that those functions or firms that have a high “WINS” intensity would be most likely to rapidly adopt generative AI.

The WINS Effect

WINS stands for words, images, numbers and sounds, and every firm should figure out how much of their cost base is paying for the creation and improvement of WINS. If that work is already digitized, generative AI is vital to that firm’s or function’s productivity. This survey points out something we missed: the WINS effect is so strong that when executives don’t support this new wave, employees will do it on their own.

Only an Idiot Would Think AI is a Magic Bullet

If I hear one more pundit say, “The technology by itself will not solve the problem,” I am going to scream. Saying that any technology, AI included, is a magic bullet is like saying my frying pan will feed me breakfast. Of course, anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that no technology in the history of humankind has been the total solution.

Firms Need to EAT AI

I have a little framework I call EAT AI:

• Education is the first step for any leadership team and organization. People cannot begin to understand what generative AI and AI can do if they don’t have some hands-on experience with it.
• Apply the technology is the next step. When anyone studies a subject, they get knowledge but they only develop skill when they apply that knowledge, and it’s a combination of knowledge and skill that are needed to see the potential value of these technologies.
• T stands for transformation. After an organization has some education and created some skill through application, it is then equipped to imagine a transformed future with the power of these silicon co-workers.

AI Enterprise Policies Are Like a Gun Safety Course

When I was growing up, we had access to many weapons: a thirty-aught-six, 45 magnum pistol, double barrel shotgun, pellet guns, bb guns, compound bows and many more. My cousins and I did a lot of shooting and hunting. However, my uncle would literally take any one of us out behind the barn if we messed around with gun safety — even in jest.

Ignore the Ignorant: The Fact is Generative AI and AI Deliver Value

Forget silly claims made by otherwise smart people like Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei who says that in three to six months AI will write 90% of all the software code, or Elon Musk’s claim that by 2040 we will have more humanoid robots than humans. The reality, as this survey from writer.com pointed out, is that people see value in these tools — otherwise they would not pay for them.

Conclusion

An executive’s job is to enable employees to find the best and most productive tools to do their work. Core training, availability, expert users and talent who can engineer new AI tools is what staff wants, and if leaders enable these capabilities, employees will not only deliver more productivity for the firm, but are more likely to stay.

FAQs

Q: What is the WINS effect?
A: WINS stands for words, images, numbers and sounds, and every firm should figure out how much of their cost base is paying for the creation and improvement of WINS.

Q: What is the framework for AI adoption?
A: I have a little framework I call EAT AI: Education, Apply, and Transformation.

Q: What is the importance of AI enterprise policies?
A: AI enterprise policies are like a gun safety course; they are necessary for the effective and safe use of AI technology.

Q: What is the reality of AI adoption?
A: The reality is that people see value in these tools — otherwise they would not pay for them.