AI Adoption - Time to shift our perspective?

What’s the best use case for AI Craig?

I get asked this a lot and believe it or not it’s very difficult to answer.

The ubiquity of AI, especially GenAI, presents a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the possibilities seem endless. On the other, it's easy to feel overwhelmed when searching for that perfect use case, especially within businesses.

We read stories everyday that AI has passed the Peak of Inflated Expectations and is now in the Trough of Disillusionment with many businesses struggling to find a clear-cut business case for AI adoption. But what if we're approaching it all wrong?

According to the latest McKinsey report, 91% of respondents said they were using Gen AI for work, but only 13% of the respondents' companies have implemented AI for multiple use cases. This stark contrast highlights where we are with AI in the enterprise currently: the employee experimentation stage. Team members are using AI in their individual day-to-day, either with or without business approval, yet businesses are still unclear on how AI can bring value at scale.

So how do we bridge this gap? How can businesses move from this experimental stage to realising true strategic value capture?

The answer lies in changing our mindset. Instead of thinking about AI in terms of jobs and roles, we need to shift our attention to tasks. This task-oriented approach allows us to leverage the individual experimentation already happening and scale it effectively across departments and eventually, the entire organisation.

Each member of your team brings unique strengths to the table - AI can enhance these while mitigating weaknesses. You’ve heard it before but it's not about replacing roles but augmenting individual capabilities. AI can be used by different people for diverse tasks, even when they occupy the same roles.

But don't feel pressured to implement AI across your entire organisation all at once. Start small – instead of team members gaining individual value think at department-level when trying to identify business value. Avoid trying to think company-wide view as you’ll likely struggle at this stage.

Consider how AI could revolutionise areas such as:

• Learning and development
• Data analysis
• Content creation
• Task automation

AI isn't just another tool—it's a game-changer. Employees are already using AI to enhance their tasks and workflows, often in ways unique to their roles and strengths. As business leaders, this calls for a paradigm shift in our thinking. We need to rethink our processes, encourage innovation at all levels, and cultivate an environment where AI-powered creativity can flourish.

So, what's the best use case for AI? The answer lies not in a single, universal application, but in empowering each individual to leverage AI in their own unique way. By focusing on tasks rather than roles, and by learning from those already embracing AI in their daily work, you can uncover a multitude of valuable use cases tailored to your specific business needs.

The key is to start small, think department-level, and scale gradually. As we do so, we might just find that the best use case for AI is the one that transforms how we approach problem-solving and innovation across our entire organisation.

Are you ready to rethink your approach to AI adoption? How might focusing on tasks rather than roles change the game for your business?

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Finovation Consulting aims to help advice businesses demystify AI and understand how to leverage it to improve client outcomes and increase productivity.

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