What not to automate first

What this solves

Many first AI projects fail because businesses start with high-risk decisions instead of low-risk leverage points.

• The first idea involves pricing, compliance, or commitments.
• Nobody can describe the happy path cleanly.
• The workflow changes every time.

What AI is good at here

• Supporting humans with context and drafts, not replacing them in risky workflows.

What AI should not own

• Pricing, contracts, clinical decisions, financial commitments, and exception-heavy actions should stay human-led first.

Best first implementation

• Start with summarizing, routing, drafting, or reminding before moving toward autonomous decisions.

What good looks like

• The team trusts the first workflow because mistakes are containable.
• AI earns credibility through low-regret wins.

Common mistakes

• Trying to automate the most expensive decision first.
• Assuming humans can 'catch it later' without designing review properly.