The AI Impact on Business Strategy | with Lisa Weinzierl (Data & AI Strategist)

Is your business jumping on the AI bandwagon too quickly? Or are you missing out by being too cautious? In this episode of The AI Impact Podcast, we dive deep into the realities of AI strategy in the business world with Lisa Weinzierl, a seasoned Data & AI strategist with over 7 years of experience driving business value through data solutions.

Formerly Head of Artificial Intelligence and Head of Data & Insights at Swiss Post, Lisa brings a wealth of practical experience from leading complex, data-driven projects and AI transformations across various industries.

We kick off by dissecting the headline-grabbing story of Klarna, the financial institution that went "all-in" on AI for customer service and marketing, only to seemingly backtrack and consider rehiring. This case study opens up crucial questions:
- What are the common pitfalls when implementing AI strategies? (Hint: "AI-first" isn't always the answer)
- Why is a "human-in-the-loop" approach often essential, especially in the short term?
- How can businesses effectively manage expectations and bridge the gap between tech teams, business units, and leadership?
- Beyond the GenAI hype: What other powerful AI applications (like causal AI for impact measurement or AI for sustainability initiatives) should businesses be exploring?
- How can companies foster AI literacy and build a data-driven culture without getting lost in the buzzwords?
- What are the key considerations for data privacy, reliability, and ethical AI deployment within organizations?
- Centralized vs. Decentralized AI teams: What works best for different company structures?

Lisa shares her expert insights on developing robust AI strategies, the importance of starting with pilot projects, focusing on core business value, and the critical role of data foundations. We also discuss the open-source AI landscape and the trends Lisa is most excited about, including the convergence of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with LLMs and the rise of discriminative AI.
Join us for a pragmatic and insightful conversation on how to navigate the AI revolution, avoid common mistakes, and genuinely leverage AI to drive sustainable business success.

Here is how to get more content like this:
Substack of this podcast: https://theaiimpactpodcast.substack.c...
My Linkedin: / quentin-gallea-phd
My instagram: / the_causal_mindset
My TikTok: / stats_with_quentin