Not every process is equally suited to being first
Your first AI pilot shapes how the whole team thinks about AI in the business afterward. A deliberate choice instead of a random start meaningfully raises the odds of a visible, fast win.
Criterion 1: Does the task repeat often enough?
A process that only comes up once a year is rarely worth the effort – the time saved only adds up with frequent repetition, say daily or weekly.
Criterion 2: How costly is a mistake?
For a process with low consequences if it fails – summarizing an internal note, say – you can experiment freely. For high risk, like legal text or payments, oversight needs to be built in from the start (see module 4, limits and risks).
Criterion 3: Is the information even available digitally?
An AI system can only work with information it can actually reach – emails, PDFs, spreadsheets, systems with an interface. A purely paper-based process with no digitization at all is usually not a good starting point.
Why this matters for you as a decision-maker
A well-chosen, manageable first case with a visible win builds trust for the next steps. An overly ambitious first attempt can do the opposite – and discredit the whole topic of AI in the team for a long time.