Developing an AI Strategy: Best Practices for Business Leaders

3 Big Takeaways from this episode:

1. AI doesn't replace the work; it's a tool to make processes more efficient optimized: Think of artificial intelligence as a lean tool - once you identify areas for improvement, these platforms can eliminate waste in your processes, freeing up your people to do more value-added work.
2. Before you can implement AI tools, you need to prepare your data and your team: Before you launch that AI initiative, take these steps to ensure your data and people are ready:
   1. Go to the Gemba: By doing this, Ashley identified over 200 projects where AI can benefit the business
   2. Provide exposure and training sessions with senior leadership to ensure they understand, at a basic level, what AI is and how the company will leverage it
   3. Complete a readiness matrix for each department: Ashley's efforts helped them identify which departments are more ready for AI implementation, by asking about culture and mindset, data structures, etc.
   4. Do value stream mapping and use lean tools to clean up and improve your processes: if you put an AI on top of an inefficient process, it will only serve to accelerate chaos
3. Curiosity is key to the implementation of AI: It's not always the data scientists or IT experts who will be your AI champions. Todd encourages leaders to look for the curious people. Identify those who are existed about AI and take the initiative to find the tools that can improve their own work - then harness their curiosity as you deploy AI in the organization. At the beginning, it's all about curiosity - reading, researching, experimenting and being okay with failure.