The AI Advice I Keep Giving (and Why It Still Holds Up)

As a generative AI consultant, I’m often asked to give talks, run workshops, or help teams kick off their first few experiments. And while every business is different, I find myself repeating one piece of advice more than anything else:

Start by mapping your pain points - not the tech.

It’s tempting to chase shiny tools, try every new chatbot, or ask, “What’s the best AI for marketing/data entry/scheduling?” But if you don’t know where your bottlenecks are, why your workflow is clunky, or which tasks are slowing your team down, even the most powerful tool won’t move the needle.

When you lead with pain points, though, everything gets easier: You’re not overwhelmed by options - you’re guided by need. The tech becomes a means to an end, not a distraction. You start solving real problems, not hypotheticals.

This advice still holds up - even as new models drop every month and pricing shifts overnight. Because good AI strategy isn’t about being early to every trend. It’s about knowing your own work so well that you can spot where AI will actually help.

So next time you’re wondering where to start (or where to go next), don’t ask what the latest tool can do. Ask: What would I love to stop doing? Then go from there.