Advice For Aspiring AI Leaders; Start Small, Think Big, Move Fast

How does one take the reins of AI initiatives when 85,000 employees with a wide range of skills are involved? Proceed carefully to see what works, then step on the gas if an AI application looks promising.

That’s the word from Dr. John Halamka, president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, who recently shared advice with current and aspiring AI leaders in two interviews published in MIT Sloan Management Review on dealing with the evolving risks and opportunities related to artificial intelligence, and how to get ahead of the pack.

“We say start small, think big, and move fast,” Halamka related. “At Mayo, our approach has been to take our 85,000 employees and say, ‘what problem do you want to solve?’ and then look at all the suggestions. That is where we implement and measure and watch to see what works and not. And then we’ll go very fast.”

Halamka advised AI proponents to exercise caution in selecting initial use cases. “Go with with lower risk, try the technology, see where it works and not,” he said. “At the moment, genAI isn’t really ready to handle a customer without a person somewhere nearby watching the results. Because the way genAI works, you can’t quite know whether the output will be high quality, consistent or reliable.

Look beyond traditional measures or thinking when it comes to seeking use cases for AI. Values need to be aligned, he urged. “I ask clinicians, ‘do you want more AI?’ They say, ‘well no, what I want is to get home for dinner. I want a quality of proactive life, so I can practice on top of my license.’”

Halamka’s response is “I can bring you AI which can do ambient listening, write your charts for you, fill out your forms, and get you home earlier. And by the way, help figure out what patients are likely to see benefit from you.”

For business or team leaders, the greatest challenge has been separating hype from reality, he added. “We’re at the peak of the hype curve for many aspects of genAI, but people are realizing it’s not going to solve every problem. It may not have the safety and equality and reliability we want. So being able to navigate that tension: I want to embrace innovation, I want to be a market leader, but I also want to be a little careful not to over-rely on overhyped technology.”