AI FACT-FINDING

Steven Cesare, Ph.D.

An innovative business owner from Michigan called me the other day to try and get a head start on his 2026 company strategic planning process. Ensconced within what appears to be a very successful year for his Design-Build Department and Retail Center, the sage business owner cast a prescient eye toward the future, anticipating the ability to sustain current financial success into the next calendar year.

Though chronologically premature, the business owner mentioned sales, staffing, customer acquisition, and various financial metrics as the introduction to his preliminary planning process. While outwardly pleased with his fundamental framework involving the standard indices many business owners perpetually contemplate, I interrupted his excited cadence, and said, “I have a homework assignment for you.”

Soliloquy became silence.

“I want you to spend the next three months collecting as much applied baseline information on Artificial Intelligence as you can.”

Silence became studious.

We all have heard AI is coming. Though very few of us know what that actually means, for our companies, for ourselves, for our future. Despite extant naivete, we all agree its impact will infinitely transcend what personal computing technology and the Internet revolution did to us over the past several decades.

Did anybody out there use a typewriter today?

That’s the thing right next to your Encyclopedia Brittanica.

This is where the Gen Xers say: “Encyclo what?”

I suggested the Michigan business owner stop thinking of predictable strategic planning components, and instead begin a systematic, albeit likely inefficient, fact-finding path on the foremost existential element that will revolutionize many businesses sooner rather than later. In specific, I proposed the business owner create a 3-4 person cross-functional team (e.g., Field Operations, Sales, Administrative, Accounting) with the mission of collecting as much fundamental, applied, and functional information on AI by mid-December.

We know AI is coming. Soon. What are we waiting for? Let’s get started now.

As a capitalist, I recommended the business owner consider several research venues. First, keep the AI team focused on business applications, not personal use or entertainment distraction. AI will redefine the company’s new DNA code; this is not the time for adolescent dreamscape. Beyond mere ChatGPT, AI has unique implications for many green industry functions: operations, marketing, accounting, project management, administrative, purchasing, customer service, human resources, and legal compliance.

At a tactical level, I told the owner to cast a broad net of data collection sources including: attending 4-5 conferences, workshops, seminars, or AI-focused events. I stated that he should invite 4-5 AI consultants to conduct on-site assessments as the pretext for submitting a proposal for his review. I suggested Internet research (e.g., Futurepedia, Synthesia, Leanscaper, TensorFlow), YouTube videos, and Ted Talks. I also suggested collaborating with a local university to select an AI intern to facilitate the fact-finding process.

I remined the owner the fact-finding process should be characterized by inquiry; getting the research sources to inform his team of how AI can make his company more successful; the team should not divulge how much they already know about AI. With that mindset, I told the business owner to collect all the information by December and develop an implementation plan with cost implications for the 2026 budget.

In case you forgot: AI is coming whether you are ready or not. Let’s get started now!

Or are you too busy doing your research using the Encyclopedia Brittanica?

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