They need to know the difference between traditional analytical AI and generative AI, and what each is good for. They need to understand the kind of data that’s needed to make each of them valuable. And they need to understand that most kinds of AI, including GenAI, are prediction oriented, and predictions are sometimes wrong. And since it works by analyzing things people have already said and done, AI is unlikely to give you anything revolutionary.

Also, preparing your people is really important. Too many companies think they can hire people from the outside, but unless you’re Google or Meta, you’re probably not going to be able to afford them. So training as many people as you can internally is a really good idea.

At the end of the day, the three most important things are to educate your senior management team, get your people ready, and get your data ready.