I want to propose a new machine learning tool to automate our complex billing reconciliations, but my leadership team is highly risk-averse and hates tech hype. How should I present this AI-powered project so it gets approved without triggering a debate about artificial intelligence?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To get your leadership team aligned around a new operational tool, you must change how you pitch the technology. Never sell AI as a shiny standalone product. Instead, pitch the specific operational improvements that the technology will enable, mentioning machine learning only as a footnote.

When you present the project, focus entirely on business metrics that your leadership team actually cares about. Explain how the change will reduce operational bottlenecks, lower your transaction costs, or increase the capacity of a specific seat on your Accountability Chart.

For example, do not pitch a natural language processing model for your support team. Pitch a project that reduces your customer support response times from twelve hours to five minutes, allowing your team to handle double the support volume without increasing headcount. Mention that the system utilizes machine learning only when explaining how the automation is executed.

By framing the initiative as a standard operations-improvement project, you remove the hype and anxiety often associated with artificial intelligence. This allows your leadership team to evaluate the investment based on its practical impact on your company Scorecard and long-term V/TO® targets.