Opportunity Seized, Squandered, Lost: An AI Business Parable - Paperback

by Mark Dallmeier and Edward Vasko (Author)

Follow three fictional companies in the fitness technology space as they race to integrate generative AI into their organizations - but with three drastically different approaches and wildly different results. All three CEOs inevitably must make crucial decisions under intense time pressure, deftly juggle innovation with human emotion, and grapple with far-reaching, often unforeseen, consequences. Some companies emerge from the first wave of AI integration stronger and better positioned for success than ever before, while others falter and stumble.

Cheryl Blanchard, CEO of Wellness Widgets, finds herself facing internal and external pressure to adopt the new technology as quickly as possible, practically overnight. Cheryl must rely on her personal experience as much as her gut instincts to keep her internal team together in an ever-shifting landscape of change. Despite her personal skills and steadfastness, she is ultimately faced with a gut-wrenching decision that not only impacts the company, but her personal life as well.

Meanwhile, Mike Stanfordson, CEO of SoftAware LLC, pursues a quickly-at-all-costs strategy for gen AI implementation. Frequently working against the advice of his talented, creative and hard-working CTO, Dominique, Mike's near-obsessive faith in the new technology puts the global company in situations no one could ever have envisioned. But Mike is a serial entrepreneur who never met a cost cut he didn't like and always moves very fast and breaks many things -- it's worked in the past, so why not again? Despite Dominique's warnings, Mike's decisions ultimately impact everyone from small business owners to investors.

Finally, Lisa Sutherland, founder and CEO of the small business TechEeez, believes leveraging lessons she learned from a prior failed crypto startup is the best guide to navigating what she believes is just another tech hype cycle. The only problem, aside from her unfortunate lack of curiosity and narrow vision, is that her small team doesn't agree. In a sincere attempt to be a supportive leader and hedge her bets, Lisa pushes aside her initial skepticism and allows a small, cautious adaptation of generative AI systems into the company. But will it be enough?

Based on stories and events taken from current headlines and informed by the authors' collective decades of experience guiding businesses through technological change and disruption, Opportunity Seized, Squandered, Lost: An AI Business Parable promises to be an essential guide for any business that aims to generate or increase value by leveraging generative AI systems.