Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense potential, but securing buy-in for AI product development can be challenging – even for the most seasoned technology and software engineering leaders. No matter the size of your project idea, team, or company, focusing on these five things can help you get a green light and move your AI dreams forward:
- Focus on the business problem or opportunity, not the tech: Don’t lead with confusing jargon or complex algorithms. Identify a clear business challenge and explain how AI can help solve it. Will it streamline processes, personalize the user experience, or predict customer behavior? Frame AI as a tool to achieve specific business goals.
- Start small and scale smart: Don’t propose a company-wide AI overhaul. Begin with a targeted proof-of-concept. This will allow you to showcase AI’s value on a smaller scale, building confidence and momentum for a larger rollout.
- Remember: data is king: AI thrives on high-quality data. Before diving into your project, assess your existing data infrastructure with a critical eye. Is it clean, accessible, and relevant to your AI goals? Address any data quality issues in advance to encourage a successful project.
- Be transparent: Be honest and forthcoming about potential risks and challenges. AI isn’t magic, and it’s evolving on a daily basis (so we don’t know what we don’t know). Explain limitations like bias and explainability. Discuss potential ethical and/or security concerns. Having realistic expectations fosters trust and can help prevent post-launch surprises.
- Assemble a dream team: AI development requires diverse expertise. Combine your product talent with AI specialists and data scientists. Doing so ensures a well-rounded team and can help mitigate potential knowledge gaps.
By following these tips, you can transform your AI vision from a dream into reality. Just remember, AI is a powerful tool, but its success hinges on solving real-world problems; lead with a clear focus on value and well-defined plan.
Want to chat more about leveraging AI in your existing or future product? Let’s connect. (We love this stuff!)
We're building an AI-powered Product Operations Cloud, leveraging AI in almost every aspect of the software delivery lifecycle. Want to test drive it with us? Join the ProdOps party at ProdOps.ai.