Generative AI enters the business world November 2022But more than three years later, many of us still aren’t satisfied with it, thanks to headlines about possible job losses, legal risks, and other concerns. But the Wall Street Journal’s technology columnist christopher mims I wrote a new book, How to leverage AI: Beating the hype. Master the basics. transform workprovides 24 “laws” that make technology threats much less threatening. One reviewer said that How To AI provides “an optimistic, down-to-earth, practical guide to how to use AI in everyday life.” We spoke to Mims for some insight.
question: Perfectly rational business leaders might panic when they hear “AI.” What are the most common reasons they fear, and what are the most common reasons business leaders embrace AI instead?
answer: Change is always scary, but change that threatens to take away your job is even scarier. Denial, delay, and dissociation are natural human responses when faced with existential threats over which we have no control. But my core message is: really early days There are many ways to develop and deploy AI, and there is no one right way to use these technologies. Perhaps for the first time in history, a technology has emerged that will greatly benefit those who feel most threatened.
question: One of your big messages is that AI is a tool, not a replacement. What are some unexpected ways business leaders are using generative AI to do their jobs better?
answer: When it comes to AI, it’s important to walk before trying to run. Start by asking them to record all your meetings and extract insights from them. But don’t just use it in place of taking notes; it actually changes the way your meetings go as a result. (I changed all my Zoom meetings to walking meetings when the weather was nice. When I needed to be on camera, I started taking notes by hand again, with AI transcripts as backup.)
Start experimenting from there. Ask the AI to create a “persona” (e.g., “You are a Fortune 100 CEO with 30 years of experience in leadership roles…”) and ask it to advise you on matters you would normally submit to your personal board of directors.
Then identify yourself as an engineer and start talking about the repetitive tasks your company currently outsources that would be better handled by an AI agent.
question: Many business leaders leave everything related to AI to IT. Why is it important for them to work on AI themselves?
answer: This is the first technology in history that can be taught how to use it. (Really, just ask how it can help you in any situation.) But this is also why I wrote How to AI. Because in 2026, having at least a basic understanding of how this works is as important as having a basic understanding of how the web worked around the turn of the millennium.
question: One reason leaders shy away from AI is that their teams don’t want to ride it. Is there a simple solution to that?
answer: Every organization has at least one person who is interested in and experimenting with AI. Host a lunch and learn session and have the person demonstrate how it works. If you want to get more ambitious, find these people, make them permanent “black belts,” and assign them to talk to all teams in your company about how to use AI.
question: Words like risk, bias, and illusion can still make it difficult to feel comfortable using generative AI. Your book offers some simple ways to address many of these issues. Could you summarize them here?
answer: AI is software and all the old rules still apply. Garbage in means garbage out. Humans need to reevaluate their work because the hallucinations never go away. And if you’re in a highly regulated industry, it’s your responsibility to correct bias in your AI system. For that last issue, industry-wide “algorithmic auditors” can help.
Click here for details How to leverage AI: Beating the hype. Master the basics. Transform your work.
Christopher Mims writes about technology for the Wall Street Journal and previously covered technology for Quartz. Author of AArriving today: From the factory to your doorstep — why, how, and what’s all changed We buy, Mims writes on a variety of topics, from bidets to brain implants, wireless communications to flying taxis.
