At a previous employer, I played a key role in helping define the company’s strategy for the use and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Developing an effective AI strategy took time, and required deep collaboration across product, data science, and customer success teams. Below are the core steps we followed to inform and shape our approach:
Key Steps in Defining Our AI Strategy
- Understand Workflows: Before applying generative AI, we started by deeply analyzing existing workflows—identifying bottlenecks, pain points, and opportunities for automation or data-driven decisions. A clear understanding of current processes is essential before introducing AI.
- Define Objectives and KPIs: We established clear business objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) that aligned with our AI goals. This gave us a framework to measure impact and stay focused on outcomes that matter.
- Deploy the Right AI Models: We selected and implemented generative AI models that could tangibly support our customers’ needs, whether through improved recommendations, faster content generation, or streamlined workflows.
- Continuously Improve Models: AI isn’t static. We created a feedback loop using user input and performance data to retrain models regularly. This helped keep the AI relevant, useful, and aligned with evolving business and market dynamics.
The outcome of these activities informed our AI “Mission Statement” and Key Principles.
Our AI Mission Statement
We use AI to support our customers’ business goals, optimize workflows, and empower more effective decision-making. By doing this, we increase the value of our platform while improving customer satisfaction, retention, and overall outcomes. Our strategy was grounded in six guiding principles:
- Create Efficiently (Make Every Action Count)
Design workflows that remove unnecessary steps and reduce friction. By streamlining tasks, we respect our users’ time and focused on driving meaningful outcomes. - Perform Better
AI should raise the performance bar. Our goal is always to help customers do more, faster—without sacrificing quality or control. - Innovate Creatively & Iterate Often
We encourage a mindset of experimentation—using AI to explore new approaches, test ideas, and adapt quickly based on what works. - Build Trustworthy Solutions
Trust is the foundation of AI adoption. We prioritize compliance with ethical standards and privacy regulations, and implement mechanisms to reduce bias, protect user data, and increase transparency in AI-generated content. - Provide Guidance and Expertise
Whether our customers were new to AI or highly experienced, we meet them where they were—offering support, recommendations, and best practices aligned with their level of domain expertise. - Empower Strategic Decisions
We help customers understand what was working, what wasn’t, and where to focus next. By surfacing insights clearly, we enable smarter, more confident decisions around budget and campaign strategy.
Feel free to borrow or adapt any of these ideas as you define your own AI strategy—whether you’re building new functionality or enhancing an existing product.