Over the past 6 months, I've facilitated several Generative AI ideation workshops for large companies. The Executives usually kick-off the sessions with a challenge: "We've heard about AI, but we don't know where to start. Help us find our AI 'aha' moment."
Here's the framework we used to uncover game-changing AI applications:
↗ Problem First, Technology Second:Â
We started by listing the company's biggest pain points and inefficiencies, regardless of whether they seemed "AI-solvable."
↗ The "Day in the Life" Exercise:
We walked through a typical day for different roles, identifying repetitive tasks that could be automated or augmented with AI. Great to identify the most valuable use cases - a 2x2 matrix with two axis: Number of times a process is executed, what proportion of uses its applicable to. Example: Every due diligence has to run these numbers and reconcile it at least 3 times, and this is applicable to all private companies, which represent 80% of the due diligence exercises carried out.
↗ Customer Journey Mapping:
We examined each touchpoint in the user experience, looking for opportunities to enhance with AI. This is my favourite method, as clearly identifying the step, the data used, the logic applied and the output, helps find the sweet spot for the application of GenAI.
↗ Moonshot Thinking:
We encouraged "impossible" ideas. Often, these led to practical innovations when scaled back. Use / Reuse / Misuse / Abuse is a good framework to use for some disruptive thinking.
↗ Cross-Pollination:
We demoed products and studied AI use case examples from other industries and explored how they could apply to their own. The result? Every workshop generates a prioritised list of 10-15 AI initiatives, with the top three focused on quick wins, which can be evolved into game-changers.
The key is to approach GenAI not as a solution looking for a problem, but as a powerful tool to address existing challenges and uncover new opportunities. To start well don't assume you know what the solution is, get the users to work on it themselves, and you will have great ideas with converted evangelists leading them.
What process do you use to generate AI ideas in your organisation? Share your thoughts below!
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