How to Set Realistic Goals for AI Innovation

"We need an AI strategy!" 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 Hold up. That's the wrong question. The right question? "What business problem are we actually trying to solve?" I've sat in countless board meetings where executives demand AI initiatives – not because they've identified a problem AI can solve, but because they're afraid of being left behind. This FOMO-driven approach is precisely how companies end up in what I call "perpetual POC purgatory" – running endless proofs of concept that never see production. Here's the uncomfortable truth: Your goal isn't to use AI for the sake of AI. Your goal is to solve real business problems. Sometimes the best solution is a regular hammer, not a sledgehammer. So when leadership pushes AI without purpose, redirect the conversation: → "What business outcome are we trying to drive?” → “What’s the actual problem we’re solving?” → “Is AI the most effective tool for that — or just the most exciting one?” Next, how do you determine if AI is the right solution? I recommend this straightforward approach that keeps business problems at the center: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆 - What specifically are you trying to solve? The more precisely you can articulate the problem, the easier it becomes to evaluate whether AI is appropriate. 2. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 - Could existing technology or processes handle this faster, cheaper, and more reliably? 3. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 - If the problem seems AI-suitable, validate it with people who’ve delivered outcomes — not just hype. 4. Be brutally realistic about your organization's maturity - Do you have the data infrastructure, talent, and risk tolerance necessary for an AI implementation? Remember this fundamental truth: AI is not a silver bullet. Even seemingly simple AI projects require time, focus, alignment, and resilience to implement successfully. The companies winning with AI aren't the ones with the flashiest technology. They're the ones methodically solving pressing business challenges with the most appropriate tools—AI or otherwise. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂: What business problem are you trying to solve that might (or might not) actually need AI?

Feeling the AI whiplash? One day it's “AI will replace every job.” The next, it's “95% of projects are failing.” Flashy predictions grab attention. Failure statistics grab headlines. But the real opportunity lives in the last chapter: 👉 Maturity. Because AI doesn’t fail for being weak tech. It fails when leaders chase hype instead of building systems that last. Maturity isn’t the end of the curve. It’s where the real work, and real impact begins. Here’s your AI Maturity Playbook  (12 Moves Leaders Can’t Skip): ☑️ 1. Anchor in Purpose ↳ Define the “why” before chasing the “wow.” ↳ Without purpose, AI is just expensive noise. ☑️ 2. Build Human Readiness ↳ Upskill and reskill before you deploy. ↳ Fear fades when people feel prepared. ☑️ 3. Challenge the Hype ↳ Don’t buy tools to impress buy to progress. ↳ Market buzz ≠ organizational readiness. ☑️ 4. Fix the Data First ↳ Bad data = bad outcomes, no matter the model. ↳ Prioritize quality, governance, and access. ☑️ 5. Design Workflows, Not Just Tools ↳ Tech must fit the way people actually work. ↳ Otherwise, adoption will stall. ☑️ 6. Lead with Ethics ↳ Innovation without integrity breaks trust. ↳ Values must guide velocity. ☑️ 7. Scale Trust, Not Just Tech ↳ Transparency builds buy-in faster than features. ↳ No trust = no adoption. ☑️ 8. Pair Automation with Accountability ↳ Every process still needs an owner. ↳ Responsibility can’t be outsourced to code. ☑️ 9. Set KPIs That Matter ↳ Tie outcomes to impact, not vanity metrics. ↳ If you can’t measure it, you can’t mature it. ☑️ 10. Celebrate (and Learn from) Failures ↳ Wins teach less than stumbles. ↳ Share the lessons, not just the trophies. ☑️ 11. Keep Iterating ↳ AI isn’t “set it and forget it.” ↳ Continuous tuning is the only path to scale. ☑️ 12. Remember: AI Doesn’t Lead. You Do. ↳ Tech amplifies leadership—it doesn’t replace it. ↳ The mindset of the leader sets the maturity curve. The maturity curve is where the divide becomes clear. For some, AI is just a buzzword and they stall. Others invest in leadership, culture, and accountability. They’re the ones that scale responsibly. That’s the real difference maturity makes. ♻️ Repost if you’re investing in people, not just tech. Follow Janet Perez for Real Talk on AI + Future of Work --------- Source (for 95% figure): MIT report

AI is just a toolkit. It’s not magic. Unrealistic expectations of what AI models can achieve often hinder enterprises from building successful projects and startups from creating sustainable products. Think of AI as a Swiss knife: it has multiple functionalities and capabilities, helping you accomplish a variety of tasks. However, it also comes with its own limitations. AI struggles with reasonableness, sticking to an ideology without manipulation, understanding the intricacies of human behavior, thought processes, the physics of the environment, and more. AI models are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Using AI for every problem is like using a Swiss Knife as a kitchen tool. Sure it can be helpful in some tasks, but it is over engineering. So, how should businesses approach AI? 𝟏. 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬: Start by pinpointing areas in your organization that require optimization. This could be cost savings, time efficiency, innovation, upgrading to state-of-the-art processes, or launching novel methods. 𝟐. 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬: Sort these use cases based on timeliness, return on investment, availability of resources, and other relevant criteria. Focus on the most important and urgent use cases. 𝟑. 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬: Clearly outline what success looks like for the project and how you will measure user demand. 𝟒. 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: Decompose the problem into smaller milestones and quantitative metrics. Determine where AI can help—this could be in all, some, or none of the aspects. Let the use-case dictate AI usage! Share this with your network ♻️ Follow Aishwarya Srinivasan for more data & AI content, and click on the 🔔on my profile to ensure you get notified for my posts!