Kayla Doan has had a hand in shaping the AI strategies of numerous companies. As a “fractional” head of product, Doan works with leaders across companies and industries to strategize and execute their high-value tech investments—a job that increasingly involves conversations about generative AI.
Yet despite all the potential and interest in AI technology, last year she said that in 50% of situations where generative AI was being considered, the right call ended up being to not move forward with using it.
In some cases, the idea came too early, creating challenges the company wasn’t ready for, she explained. In others, the cost was too high or business goals could just be hit faster, cheaper, and with more reliability without it. Sometimes, a different opportunity simply won out instead.
“When we’re looking at all of the potential investment opportunities, sometimes generative AI is the best, and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes, our money is better spent elsewhere, and that’s actually what we want to see,” she told Fortune. “We don’t want to treat AI like this special, shiny object. It is a tool, and we want it to be held in comparison with all the other opportunities and ways we could be spending our energy.”
