What do you do if your boss underestimates the game-changing potential of AI in your field?

A great place to start is to understand the goals of your boss. In particular, ask "what are the top goals of the of the organization?" Seek to obtain the goals with specific metrics. If the boss cannot articulate the metrics, then ask, "How would we best measure that? What is the value now, what would you like it to be in 6 months?" Then from there ask, "who in the organization would need to do what differently to achieve or exceed that result?" This will start to unpack the behaviors and actions that need to be executed on. From there, you will uncover specificity around where AI Agents could enable those actions to deliver results, faster, with greater quality, volume and at a lower cost.

Present current industry trends and market analyses that showcase the increasing adoption of AI technologies. Demonstrate how competitors or leaders in the field are leveraging AI to gain a competitive advantage.

-Pregunta directamente a tu jefe cuáles son sus dudas o miedos sobre la IA. -Dale ejemplos reales de cómo otras empresas de vuestro sector están usando la IA para mejorar. Unos cuantos casos de éxito pueden ser muy persuasivos. -Propón un proyecto piloto de IA. Algo pequeño que no requiera mucho presupuesto ni compromiso. Asegúrate de que los objetivos sean claros y medibles. -Explícale casos de uso para que vea cómo la IA no solo puede solucionar problemas ahora, sino que también es una inversión en el futuro: empezar temprano con la IA puede dar ventaja sobre la competencia. -Mantén una actitud positiva y colaborativa. Recuerda que cambiar de opinión lleva su tiempo, y lo importante es mantener abiertas las líneas de comunicación.

Ask ChatGPT (or your favorite LLM): “I believe my boss might be underestimating the game-changing nature of AI in our industry. My organization is <name>, operating in the <industry> industry. My boss is the <role>, responsible for <areas of responsibility. Help me understand what my boss’ concerns and priorities may be. Then give me ideas on how I might be able to educate them on AI and inspire them on the potential. Provide specific lines that I can say to demonstrate that I understand their potential concerns about AI. Then provide a few bullets points on how I might be able to address them before and during the meeting.” You’re welcome 😉

Identify Concerns: Determine whether their underestimation stems from a lack of understanding, fear of change, cost concerns, or previous negative experiences with technology projects. Respect Perspectives: Recognize that their caution may be rooted in valid business concerns. Understanding these will help you tailor your approach.

Sometimes people cannot see what you see, until you show them. If you are deep in AI at the moment, it is easy to get lost in the excitement of what is possible and it is easy to be working 10 steps ahead of where others' knowledge is at. Prepare an example of how AI can be used to solve a problem. Then ask your boss for 15mins to obtain their insight on how you are thinking about addressing a real business problem. Show how you could apply AI to the problem (actually display it) and then ask, "What are your insights after seeing this?" "What are your thoughts on running a pilot program on this initiative?" Key is to engage them in the process. Any time you ask someone for their "help and insights" you have just engineered engagement.

When your boss underestimates AI's potential, it's an opportunity to step up as a thought leader. Instead of just sharing articles or case studies, offer to give a compelling presentation on AI's transformative power in your field. Use storytelling to paint a vivid picture of how AI can revolutionize your work, solve complex problems, and create new opportunities. By making the abstract concepts of AI relatable and relevant to your boss's priorities, you can ignite their curiosity and gain their support.

Si sientes que a tu jefe le cuesta ver el la utilidad de la IA, quizás sea el momento de enseñarle cómo esta tecnología ya está siento utilizada efectivamente en miles de empresas. A veces la gente no puede ver lo que tú ves, hasta que se lo muestras: háblale de cómo la IA está transformando sectores enteros, enséñale esas empresas que ya están un paso por delante gracias a la IA… También puedes preparar un ejemplo concreto de cómo la IA podría resolver un problema específico en vuestra empresa. Pídele a tu jefe unos 15 minutos para compartir tu idea y obtener su punto de vista sobre cómo abordar ese desafío empresarial. Mostrar es mejor que contar: enséñale cómo aplicarías la IA en esa situación específica y qué beneficios os reportaría.

Informative Sessions: Offer to organize lunch-and-learn sessions or workshops that introduce AI’s capabilities and benefits, specifically tailored to your industry and organization's context. Success Stories: Share case studies and examples of how similar organizations or competitors have successfully implemented AI to solve problems, improve efficiency, or drive innovation.

While AI is fascinating, its implementation must address business challenges without introducing new ones. Often, business leaders possess insights into operations that may elude tech experts. It's crucial to prioritize solutions that align with the business's vision and address its specific needs, ensuring that AI deployment enhances rather than complicates operations. Effective collaboration between technical and business stakeholders is key to navigating these complexities and delivering impactful AI solutions.

When your boss underestimates the game-changing potential of AI in your field, it's essential to engage them in a constructive conversation to help them understand the opportunities and benefits that AI can bring. Some of the things you can do to engage your boss include: Understanding your bosses perspectives: Understand why your boss is skeptical of the potentials of AI. The boss might be simply unfamiliar with the AI technology. Gets some evidences or case studies: Get of related case studies and success stories of successful AI implementation in the field. You can also tailor your message to educate your boss based on your understanding of your boss.

Present your boss with empirical evidence showcasing AI's capacity to streamline operations, boost productivity, and uncover actionable insights. Demonstrate AI's ability to analyze vast datasets rapidly, predict market trends accurately, and personalize customer experiences effectively. Propose implementing AI-powered solutions tailored to your specific business needs, illustrating how they align with organizational goals and drive growth.

With AI, showing is always better than telling. It's a very new concept. So understandably, your boss may be sceptical or worried. They need to see what AI is capable of. But more specifically, they need to see first-hand: - Do a real-world, genuine, business task — to a reasonable quality - Do it task safely and consistently - Do the task quickly and cost-effectively - Drive actual productivity improvements in their teams With those points in mind, think about how you can showcase AI being used on a real business task. Don't choose anything too complex to start. 1. Choose the task you think AI can have a large impact 2. Create a simple proof of concept 3. Simulate ~10 examples of this task 4. Show a comparison of the results

A simple way to get the message across is to demonstrate by using AI tools to complete tasks in your organization. Or, ask your boss to propose a list of tasks and objectives and respond by proposing how AI can be used in those cases. Test by implementing and then measuring results. Adopting AI is not a lift-and-shift but rather a transitional process of upskilling and adaptation. This process should start sooner rather than later. Even actions in the process are timeboxed commitments to research. The process needs to start. AI is here to stay.

Hay que promover la oportunidad. Es decir, mostrar cómo la IA mejora aspectos esenciales en el negocio. Con acciones que no solo destaquen la eficacia, sino que evidencien que la inversión es necesaria para abordar los desafíos actuales. Para ello, la base es disponer de una estrategia de innovación cuyo objetivo no sea únicamente la rentabilidad, sino la visión de futuro para mantenerse competitivo en un tiempo tan disruptivo.

Share success stories and case studies from similar industries where AI has led to breakthrough innovations or solved complex problems. Highlight how competitors are leveraging AI to gain an edge, emphasizing the risk of being left behind. Organize demos or pilot projects to showcase AI's capabilities firsthand, making sure these examples are directly relevant to your organization's challenges and opportunities. Present a vision of the future where AI enhances decision-making, optimizes operations, and opens up new avenues for growth. By connecting AI's potential to your boss's aspirations for the company, you can turn skepticism into enthusiasm and open the door to exploring AI's possibilities together.

To inspire your boss to embrace AI, highlight the opportunities and advantages it offers, such as improved efficiency, quality, creativity, and customer satisfaction. Emphasize the challenges and risks of ignoring AI, such as losing competitiveness and innovation. Share your vision and passion for AI and how it can enhance your work. Showcase successful AI implementations in your field and demonstrate how AI can be a strategic and essential asset. Offer to help your boss understand AI better and provide resources to educate them. Most importantly SHOW not tell. Demo a tool that could impact the business, or your boss's job, and do so in a positive manner to help them understand the potential and power.

Con resultados claramente medibles y tangibles, evitando el humo y el Hype. Mostrando evidencias. Con comparativas de tiempo, cuanto costaba antes y cuanto cuesta ahora. Con propuestas de casos de uso, montando proyectos pilotos para mostrar. Con reuniones formativas que acerquen la tecnología a los puestos directivos. Con comparativas de cómo lo están haciendo otras compañías.

To paraphrase a well known book; "there are no prophets in their homeland". To give you a visual of this approach, take a trip to black and white TV in YouTube and watch a few highlights of the series "Get Smart" - Agent 99 always had the answers, and the Chief never got it; until Agent 86 (Smart) would repeat the same solution presented by agent 99 - verbatim - and all of the sudden it became a "brilliant idea." Familiarity with the source can sometimes render the best advice void of value; even when the advice is spot on. The good news regarding AI, is that we are past the initial "will it be good" for us, to a broader message that screams "if you are not using AI, your competition is eating your lunch". Get a "Smart" to speak 4 u.

If the benefit story / showcase is not enough, you can resort to the opposite tactics. Create FOMO (competitors are moving !) and detail the cost of doing nothing which is sometimes not apparent !