Key takeaway points on AI
We were delighted to be joined by Paul Armstrong, Founder of TBD Group as our keynote speaker at our 2024 Annual Survey launch event, held in BAFTA. It was an evening filled with great insights, debates, and a fair bit of reality check thanks to those sobering and hopefully motivational(!) results from our Annual Survey. We thought it might be useful to summarise Paul’s key messages from the night and highlight his recommendations for the next 24 months. So, here’s his recap of the top ten things to keep in mind as AI continues to evolve and challenge the status quo:
Don’t boil the ocean: Focus on what’s achievable and avoid spreading your resources too thin. AI can do a lot, but not everything all at once, so it’s critical to prioritise use cases that deliver quick wins and genuine value for your organisation. Partner with the people who are ahead, and build together if you can.
Hire a consultant: Disgustingly self-serving, but you don’t know what you don’t know, and AI is complex and fast-moving. Bring in experts to accelerate both your strategy and execution, ensuring you avoid costly mistakes. Time is money, and leveraging external expertise can make the difference between success and stagnation.
Make sure you know the most about OpenAI: Skating to where the puck *will be* is how you’ll stay competitive. Understand where the AI leaders are heading so you can anticipate the future and stay ahead of the curve. The future of AI is about being predictive, not just reactive position yourself accordingly. I created ‘What Did OpenAI Do This Week?’ to help people keep up with everything the company is doing. I highly recommend you invest in a subscription.
Remember the pie has no recipe: AI is still being figured out, and no one has all the answers. Embrace the uncertainty and accept that nothing is set in stone—experiment, iterate, and evolve continuously. You’re baking the pie as you go, and that’s perfectly fine; adaptability is key to success.
50% of workers are ‘shadow AI’ users: Your employees are likely already using AI tools, either overtly or covertly, to enhance their work. Get ahead of this trend by training them, educating them on best practices, and aligning their AI use with your broader organisational goals to maximise productivity and mitigate risks. Bring them into the light, before your IP goes into the dark.
Not all AI creates better jobs, just different ones: AI reshuffles roles, often automating tasks and creating new opportunities. Ensure you’re guiding people into roles that matter and are future-proof. Equip them with the skills they need to adapt and thrive in this evolving landscape and support their career development actively.
Prompting needs vision: Prompts are only as good as the vision and creativity behind them. Your people need to be sharper, more cultured, and more inspired than the competition. They need to know the difference between expressionism and fauvism to get the right pre-viz results. AI is a creative multiplier—but only if you feed it a clear, compelling vision. Invest in your team’s ability to think creatively and strategically.
Define your KPIs: Measure the impact of your AI initiatives with clear, actionable KPIs. Define success before you start, otherwise you’ll end up with flashy demos and zero ROI. Knowing what you are aiming for will help maintain focus and ensure that your investments translate into tangible business outcomes. Campaign testing time reduction, employee job satisfaction, AI campaign automation percentage, effectiveness lifts, emotional connection increase, there’s lots to be agreed.
Think bigger, then smaller: AGI is realistically still miles away, no one is agreeing on what it is when it’s here, but the vision remains exciting, albeit impractical right now. Instead, focus on what’s realistic in the near term. Use small, focused LLMs and build specific, effective solutions with “smart cookies” – highly specialised, nimble systems that address particular problems very well.
Use the rope you have been given: The extended timeline for AI development (and AGI) means you’ve got breathing room to innovate. Experiment smartly and boldly now while the guardrails are wobbly, partners are plentiful, and use this time to learn, adapt, and refine your approach. Think about the agency you set out to build when you started. Innovate locally, take smart risks, and partner/scale strategically when you find what works.
As I said in the talk, think bigger, be bold and take risks. AI doesn’t care about your business model, so make sure you do.
Follow Paul on Bluesky and check out C_NCENTRATE if you like emerging…everything.
Paul Armstrong, Founder of TBD Group
(Keynote speaker at Moore Kingston Smith 2024 Annual Survey)
Email Paul
