By Pascal Fintoni, AI & Digital Storytelling
Getting AI right means moving carefully and standing visibly for what you believe.
Every headline about AI tells you to move faster, adopt more, automate everything. But the most honest conversations I am having with leaders right now tell a different story entirely.
Going slowly could be the wisest approach of all
I recently sat down with a leader from a professional services business. Thoughtful, measured, and very clear about one thing: getting this AI thing right matters more than getting it done fast.
We did not begin with tools or technology. We began with people. That is exactly where these conversations should start.
Before reaching for any platform, gather your colleagues. Map out what you would love to work differently. Not how, just what. Use common sense rather than technical knowledge. What you are really doing is writing a specification: a description of a better working day.
Then, before looking anywhere else, go back to the software you already use. You would be amazed how much is already possible that nobody told you about. Start there.
Two reminders matter most in those sessions.
First, caution beats the chase for productivity every time. Move too fast and you create a poorer experience for everyone.
Second, when automation frees up time, be ready to tell your colleagues what that time is for. Nobody wants to feel replaced. Everyone wants to know they are moving forward.
This is also the biggest change most teams have faced since computers first arrived in the office. Treat it that way.
The AI backlash is already here
While leaders wrestle with adoption questions, something else is unfolding across our social feeds. There seems to be no limit to the flood of AI-generated audio, images, and video filling every platform.
Experimentation is fine. Targeted use of AIgenerated media probably is too. But that is not what I am watching happen.
I find myself blaming the platforms, which seem to reward synthetic content and favour fake messages over real voices. That leaves the rest of us, the ones who care deeply about ethical practice, facing an uncomfortable question.
How do we make sure current and future clients do not confuse us with the worst examples in our sector? The answer, I think, is just a little bit.
Just a little bit more storytelling about our ethical practices. Sharing how we actually use AI in our work, and where we choose not to.
Just a little bit more leading by example. Showing our working and letting people see the human thinking behind the content we publish.
Suspect use of AI is loud. Thoughtful use needs to be visible. Not in a noisy way. Just a little bit more.
What These Two Things Have in Common
Slow adoption and visible ethics are not separate conversations. They are the same one.
Both ask you to resist the pressure to perform urgency. Both put people before platforms. Both require you to lead from your values rather than your feed.
The noise will not quieten down. Thoughtful practice does not have to match it. It just needs to be seen.
To your success!
Pascal Fintoni is an AI and digital marketing strategist with 30 years of experience working with business leaders on responsible AI adoption, content strategy, and digital marketing.
www.pascalfintoni.com
