Who Told You That You Need AI?

By Neil S. Kohrn

Potential clients often begin conversations with me by asking, “How can we use AI for…?”

My first question is: “Who told you that you need AI?”

In most situations, I don’t receive a clear answer. They have heard it would be good for their business.

So might a substantial cash infusion or a large order. But capital without a sound plan can be wasted, and an order the business cannot fulfill can create serious difficulties. The potential benefit deserves examination.

AI is a broad-based business tool. Its potential uses include pursuing opportunities, supporting decisions, improving operations, and overcoming obstacles. Understanding the business and what it hopes to accomplish provides the basis for deciding whether—and where—AI can add value.

That examination begins with the current situation, the desired outcome, and the company’s long-term goals. What does the business want to accomplish? What opportunities are worth pursuing? What resources and capabilities are available? Where could additional information or assistance improve a decision?

Beginning with “How can we use AI?” can narrow that examination prematurely. It encourages people to find a place for the technology before establishing where it would be useful. An opportunity can be overlooked just as easily as an unsuitable application can be pursued.

Understanding long-term goals is equally important. A tool selected for an immediate task should be evaluated in the context of where the business intends to go. Its usefulness today is only part of that decision.

Companies may assign someone below the executive level to “research AI and tell us how we can use it.” That person’s knowledge, responsibilities, and access to information will shape what they examine—and what they overlook.

An engineering manager may identify valuable technical applications. That does not mean the manager has been informed about board deliberations, financial commitments, acquisition plans, or other considerations that could influence the company’s use of AI.

Management cannot expect an enterprise-wide assessment from someone given a departmental view. The research needs input from people who understand the company’s operations, strategic direction, and obligations. Otherwise, a capable employee may produce a sound answer to a much narrower question than leadership intended.

AI also needs its own onboarding. It requires relevant information, clear direction, appropriate access, and time to evaluate and refine its use. It does not come out of the box ready to overcome every obstacle or fulfill every ambition.

That onboarding includes the people who will use it. They need to understand its purpose, its limitations, how its responses will be evaluated, and who remains responsible for decisions made using those responses.

AI responds to the information and instructions it receives. It should not be treated as though it independently understands the company’s ambitions, relationships, obligations, or tolerance for risk. A convincing response does not establish that those considerations have been understood or addressed.

Management must supply that context and exercise judgment over the result.

There may be substantial opportunities for AI within a business. Discovering them requires curiosity, examination, and a clear understanding of what the company hopes to accomplish.

“How can we use AI?” is a question worth asking.

First, establish what the business wants to achieve.