Our POV: Why focusing on AI capabilities over business outcomes dooms your automation

Focusing on AI capabilities instead of business outcomes is a surefire way to doom your automation efforts.

At Blue Tusk, we’ve seen it time and again: companies dazzled by AI’s potential, diving headfirst into tech without a clear business goal in sight. Here’s where people go wrong:

1. Tech Over Purpose: In 90% of cases, businesses get caught up in the “coolness” of AI, forgetting that automation is a means to an end, not the end itself. The result? A collection of advanced tools that don’t actually solve any pressing business problems.

2. Complexity Over Clarity: What we see is a tendency to implement complex systems that require significant resources to maintain, rather than focusing on lean, effective solutions that drive real results. This often leads to more chaos and less clarity.

3. Misaligned Metrics: Many teams measure success by the sophistication of their AI rather than the impact on business outcomes. This misalignment can lead to wasted time and resources on projects that don’t move the needle.

Here's a smarter way to think about automation: Start with the outcome. Define what success looks like for your business, and work backward to identify the simplest, most effective automation solutions to get you there. Remember, the goal is smarter operations, not flashier tech. Check out our AI and Automation guide to see how to do it right.

When was the last time you audited your team’s time to see where automation could make the biggest impact?