REVIEW: The Business Case for AI by Kavita Ganesan, PhD

This week I am reviewing The Business Case for AI by Kavita Ganesan, PhD.

Dr. Ganesan is the founder of Opinosis Analytics, and an AI strategist, educator, and consultant. She has over fifteen years of experience in delivering successful AI initiatives for midsize and Fortune 500 organizations.

I have reviewed several AI books so far this year (plenty more on the way!) and in my opinion, this has been the most beneficial, hands-down.

Kavita Ganesan does a remarkable job of not only covering some AI basics for the uninitiated, but also details key areas of knowledge that a leader planning to initiate AI projects needs to be aware of. The Business Case for AI covers how AI can improve business processes and optimize decision-making, the Machine Learning development lifecycle, pillars that an organization needs to achieve before being able to successfully implement AI, and how to identify AI opportunities while also ensuring the highest likelihood of success. This knowledge extends beyond deployment, providing suggestions on how to track and measure metrics to ensure that the AI implementation is meeting its purpose and the ROAI (Return On AI Investment) expectations of the company.

One of the things that I appreciate most about this book is it isn't pushing AI just for AI's sake. Ganesan is direct in pointing out that not all problems are AI problems, and that there can often be cheaper or more effective solutions to many business challenges, such as simple software automation. By breaking down troubled processes into their smallest components, we can more easily determine what parts of a process may benefit from AI and can then perform feasibility studies to ensure that AI is the best-suited option with the highest probability of increasing effectiveness or efficiency.

Another key expectation set by Ganesan concerns the amount of time and money it can take to make an organization "AI-ready". Seemingly, AI is being discussed everywhere these days, and for those unaware of implementation needs, one might assume that AI is something that can just be plugged into an environment so the company can immediately start reaping the awards. However, getting an organization to a place where it is considered AI-ready may take one to five years! Additionally, depending on the need, the organization may need to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for the needed solution and the personnel qualified to design, develop, implement, and maintain the AI solutions put into place. There is a lot that goes into preparing an organization to effectively and successfully implement AI, including data readiness (AI requires a lot of data!), cultural readiness, skills readiness, infrastructure readiness, and budget readiness; referred to as the Five Pillars of AI Preparation: B-CIDS.

Because of the time and cost associated, organizations must begin to plan for AI readiness now, even if there are no immediate plans to implement a solution. The highly unlikely ability to effectively implement AI without the five pillars in place will make it nearly impossible to catch up to the competition that has already performed these measures and adopted AI solutions.

The only place I felt the book fell short was in minimizing the impact that AI may have on jobs and society in the future. Ganesan presents AI as a set of business tools unlikely to have the negative impacts highlighted in the media and elsewhere. While I personally feel differently, this is a good example of the challenges that we face in moderating and controlling AI through unified global policies. Just as we see in politics, there is a range of thought that spans a wide spectrum. At one end, some experts view AI as a basic business tool, and then others feel AI could be the end of humanity, even destroying the universe beyond Earth. Time will tell, but in the meantime, just as in politics, even though it may not always seem like we are doing so successfully, we must find a way to bridge these gaps and put protections and guidelines in place to try and prevent the worst-case scenarios from occurring while still allowing organizations and society to reap the possible benefits from this amazing technology.

Overall, The Business Case for AI is a fantastic book, and I know it is one that I will be going back to for reference time and time again.

Originally I only intended to use "Not Recommended" and "Recommended" for ratings, but this book surpasses the others I have already rated as "Recommended". Dr. Ganesan receives my first "Highly Recommended" rating. If you are a business leader who is considering implementing AI solutions, this book is a must-read.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED