Safeguarding Purpose in a World of Artificial

Friends, Artificial Intelligence was never meant to be used for Artificial Intention.

I had the honor of breaking bread with Casey Bull from CascadEffects. And while I could go on about Morton's crab fried rice special (seriously, order it), you are not here for my food recommendations.

What stuck with me that evening was yet another deep dive into artificial Intelligence and the questions it is forcing us all to ask.

Now, I will not pretend I know the ins and outs of every technical layer, but I am a strategist. It is my job to have a pulse on this. As a strategist, I cannot help but view AI with both excitement and concern.

Let's start with the upside.

The Benefits of AI

• Efficiency and speed: AI can handle some repetitive tasks for you, which can be a time saver in a world that demands everything instantly.

• Data insights: Analyzes large sets of information quickly, spotting trends and patterns that humans might miss.

• Personalization: Tailors customer experiences at scale, from marketing messages to product recommendations.

• Decision support: Provides simulations, forecasts, and predictive models that help leaders make informed choices.

• Innovation catalyst: Sparks new ideas by breaking creative blocks, testing scenarios, and offering fresh perspectives.

Those things are game changers. They save time. They spark ideas. They free up our human brains for higher-level thinking.

But there are risks that I fear many business leaders are either unaware of or ignoring.

The Risks of AI

• Believing that AI thinks (it doesn't), AI does not actually think, but it can present information in a way that feels authoritative.

• Accuracy concerns: Without proper oversight, AI can generate errors or "hallucinations" that mislead decision-making.

• Loss of intentionality: Leaders may rely on AI prompts instead of undertaking the more challenging work of clarifying their purpose and strategy.

• Erosion of human connection: Substituting authentic dialogue with machine-generated output can weaken trust and cultural bonds.

• Ethical and privacy risks: Mishandled data, algorithmic bias, and a lack of transparency can create reputational and legal issues.

The danger is not AI itself.

The danger is how quickly we might let it hijack the very thing that makes us human: our intention.

How We Use AI at Tandem

With this in mind, let's pull the curtain back on how we use AI at Tandem, not because we have all the answers, but because it may inspire you as you create your own playbook for it.

1. It is never the first or final say. We upload our thoughts and drafts to provide direction for our AI tools, then we request feedback and insights.

2. We use it as a data storyteller. By uploading documents and screenshots, we can get accurate summaries, insights, and next step recommendations.

3. We invite it into the brainstorm. When writer's block or design fatigue sets in, we ask it for fresh ways to approach a concept.

4. We tell it to remove the dashes. It often forgets, but we ask nonetheless.

5. We ask it to notice what we miss. Feeding it transcripts and having it highlight themes has been a surprising gift.

All of this helps us work faster and see more clearly. However, there is one line we will not cross: every person on our team remains responsible for bringing human intention to whatever we are tackling.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself About AI

If you are curious whether you are using AI as a tool or a shortcut, ask yourself and your team these five questions:

1. Am I using AI to clarify my ideas or to avoid the hard work of forming them?

2. Is AI helping me notice patterns, or am I letting it dictate my thoughts?

3. Have I checked the accuracy of the information it provided?

4. Did I use AI to enrich a human conversation or replace it?

5. Does the output accurately reflect my intention, or did I inadvertently hand it over to the machine?

If I can impart one critical, strategic thought, it is this:

AI can be a powerful ally, but it cannot give you purpose. That part is still on you.

Elizabeth Mead, affectionately known as "EM," is an award-winning Tactical Strategist and a go-to consultant for organizations needing hands-on support in the trenches. When she's not crafting value-driven strategies, you can find her on her ranch, embracing what her husband calls "the pace of choice." It’s a lifestyle that reflects her love for solitude, the beauty of nature, sipping coffee from a rocking chair, riding quads with the kiddos, singing with her pal Joey, slow-cooking farm-fresh meals, and losing herself in a great book.