#15 Is Playing It Safe the Riskiest Strategy of All? Beware The Freemium Fallacy

Hello everyone,

Remember when "reckless" meant riding a bike without a helmet? Well, welcome to 2024, where letting 75% of your employees use AI without proper training is the new definition of corporate daredevilry [Source: Microsoft] It's probably more than 75%, but they don't talk about it (see Ethan Mollick's secret cyborg)

Beware the Freemium Fallacy

Using the entry-level version of Chat, Claude, etc. is the riskiest strategy of all for two key reasons:

1/ Data Danger Zone The security and protection of your data is appalling. This is the stuff AI horror stories are made of. If you work in a regulated space, this is the AI ninth circle of compliance hell you've been waiting for. (The $20-30 a month to experiment with one of humanity's most powerful innovations seems like good value)

2/ AI Disillusion Trap It breeds disillusionment, abandonment, and misguided mistrust. Freemium output is bad enough to put you off for life. Then we at Atheni.ai have a much harder job and spend valuable hours rebuilding the faith in AI amongst your team by showing them how valuable a properly configured Claude project area can be.

But hey, who am I to judge? I'm just a mum who spends her days refining the ideal AI integration strategy based on human capital and behavioural economics, the latest applied AI research, and leading AI integration voices, as well as her real-life AI adoption experience with clients in financial and professional services, and her nights agonising over whether her kids' education is preparing them for anything other than being really good at sitting still and regurgitating facts that AI could spit out in a nanosecond.

Can we talk about education for a second?

You know that feeling when you're watching your kid practice cursive writing, and you're thinking, "Sweetpea, by the time you're my age, you'll be dictating to AI that writes in any font you want, so the length of the g tail doesn't matter all that much"? (Not that I don't value excellent hand eye coordination, it would just be great if it were in the form of a 3-D printer operation, or fixing their own bike punctures.)

But we all know they still need that piece of paper to proceed in life. So while I see Synthesis as key future skill development, they're still spending 8 hours a day at school building skills many of which will be obsolete faster than you can say "AI revolution."

Flouting their school rules I built them a little coach to help them stay focused on their homework and learn outside the subject box, though, so that soothes my worry slightly.

(Want one? Call me, nothing would make me happier.)

Speaking of revolutions, let's talk about what's happening in the corporate world.

Shocking Stat

Here's a shocking stat: somewhere around 80-90% of AI projects fail, depending on which of the many emerging studies you look at. Why? Because most companies are treating AI like it's a new coffee machine – just plug it in and hope for the best.

What's the Plan then?

At Atheni, we take a different approach. We call it the 3C's:

1. Competence: Learning how to use AI effectively for my role (revolutionary!)
2. Confidence: Feeling empowered to use AI without fear of accidentally summoning Skynet, or even better, actually getting some valuable and usable output from it that builds some faith.
3. Cohesion: Making sure your entire team is on the same AI page (no more "Dave from accounting is still using a rolodex" situations)

We know it works, because our clients are seeing results like 40% boost in team productivity and a 22% increase in client satisfaction scores in < 8 weeks.

Now, I know what many may be thinking. "Mackenzie, this all sounds great, but I'm too busy to deal with this AI stuff. I'll just let my team figure it out."

Completely understandable. However, my friend, that's like saying you're too busy to learn how to swim while you're on a sinking ship. AI isn't the future – it's the present. And if you're not steering the ship, you're just drifting along, hoping you don't hit an iceberg. Meanwhile, the competition is surging ahead.

But don't worry, we're here to help. At Atheni.ai we walk you through the transition from today to the AHA! moment. We're like the Mary Poppins of AI integration, minus the singing and the magical bag (although our AI tools, personalised prompts, and individual use cases are pretty magical). We also have a combined 50+ years in business between us as founders, so we come at it from the business side; we're not in love with the tech.

A Challenge to You

So, here's my challenge to you: Stop playing it safe. Stop hoping that this AI thing will just blow over. It won't. Instead, let's have a conversation about how we can help your team master the Human+AI blend and get ahead of the curve.

After all, the future belongs to those who can harness both human creativity and AI power. And you want to be on the right side of this revolution.

Because the alternative?

Well, it's something about an F1 race going on and someone's trying to win it on a rusty bicycle.

Take a Step.

Ready to take the plunge? Let's chat. We're doing these Step One Workshops day in day out right now as teams left right and centre are taking the plunge and asking what it is they actually need to do about AI. It's due diligence.

Attendees generally walk away feeling informed enough to be able to make those informed decisions, excited about the possibilities instead of the fear and loathing and skepticism they may have walked in with, and inspired to make the Human+AI blend work in their team. That much, we can pretty well guarantee.

Mackenzie Howe

Co-founder & CEO, Atheni.ai

P.S. If you've read this far and you're thinking, "This person sounds like she's had too much coffee," you're absolutely right. This newsletter usually goes out in the morning and client work has overtaken my day.

Join us in this thing: we've got a huge opportunity here, let's make AI work for people and society.

Did you know we're a social impact driven organisation?

Yes. We're starting our fundraising journey right now for our B2B SaaS AI-powered professional AI adoption tool, Atheni.ai. It works, and so I won't bore you with why. AND, we're using the same technology to allow every child to have access to an AI-powered education coach for free. If you feel Altman, Zuckerberg, Musk or the general echo-chamber of tech bros should be the only decision-makers in this revolution, move on. But if you think mums whose heart is in making this AI revolution something that works for our society and our kids might be better equipped to help shape it, get in touch.

Have a great week!

Kenz

www.atheni.co.uk

At Atheni, we're helping our clients unlock the true potential of AI so they can grab all those productivity, employee engagement, and profitability gains that are on the table. Our Race Plan methodology doesn't just focus on cutting-edge AI, but on the human side of the equation. The result: our clients are capturing 30-70% increases in productivity, measurable boosts in profitability, and report measurably happier, more engaged employees. Get in touch for a Lunch & Learn Workshop to discover how Atheni can boost your bottom line and your team's potential.