AI
We chose the name Beginners in 2023 because we knew things in tech were changing. We wanted to signal to prospective clients that we understood this shift and had a point of view on how it would inform the way we talk about innovation.
Our first creds deck included a section up front dedicated to situating the moment in the larger context of our careers.
Artificial Intelligence was already moving out of the tech ecosystem and into mainstream culture in 2023.
More recently, AI has risen rapidly to become the top concern of Beginners’ constituents: ambitious companies of all sizes (especially startups), investors, and the media. Broadly speaking:
Startups center AI in their product strategy to garner investment, drive deals, and operate with efficiency.
Investors center AI in their thesis to drive deal flow and reinforce credibility with existing and future LPs.
Media have elevated AI-centric storytelling to the de facto angle when covering stories about innovation.
The rush to reorient to AI-first positioning is a bet toward maximizing short-term financial outcomes — nothing new. The zealousness and speed of the shift may be driven by larger, global economic concerns, or perhaps even a more cynical, realistic view of the innovation game and how to play it.
As Beginners, our concern is less how we got here and more what to do about it.
We urge leaders to consider not only how they integrate AI into their product or workflows but also how they talk about it.
Your customers want to know your perspective on AI. You may be surprised to hear that “faster, cheaper, more efficient” may no longer be their primary driver for product adoption as it has been for previous technology.
Your team members want to know your perspective on AI. They are no longer likely to accept a rationale for AI adoption that does not address the larger issues at play. (You can imagine how complicated this becomes for employees at tech companies that sell AI solutions.)
In tech, we’ve seen many hype cycles. Some may believe yesterday’s “web3” is today’s “AI,” and perhaps there is some truth to that. But the existential questions of AI coinciding with geopolitical uncertainty, and a powerful tech industry anxious for its next big bet, make the stakes higher for everyone.
If you are struggling with how to develop and communicate an AI strategy that requires historical context, nuance, and close attention to the fast-evolving tech landscape, we should talk.
It’s not as simple as a new slide in your pitch deck or a software mandate for the team — and that’s why a lot of great companies are getting it wrong.