"Eh question, who is the other guy in the chat?"
It's not a guy. It's AI (or SI?).
I like the idea of AI being introduced to a team this way: an extra name in the WhatsApp group they already use. Someone asks for help, it does a piece of work, and a person checks it. For an SME, I think that could make a bigger difference than buying another OpenAI subscription.
One AI person doesn't change the team
In the last two years, I've realised that having one person who is very good at AI doesn't automatically change how the team works. That person might get more done, while everyone else carries on as before.
The bigger impact, I think, comes when most of the team (maybe 80%) can use AI comfortably and get useful work done, without knowing how to build anything with it. And that depends a lot on how easy it is to use.
Why it should sit in the group
If someone has to leave the group, open another app, explain the context again and copy the answer back, it tends to become the job of whoever already likes AI. Everyone else just asks that person to do it.
Putting AI inside the group makes it easier for everyone to use directly. The request and the result become part of the same conversation. Just as important, everyone can see it working.
A quotation, in the chat
Say someone drops a customer's requirements into the group and asks for a quotation. The bot checks the connected price list, stock information and terms, then brings a draft back into the chat. A person reviews it and approves it before it goes out.
The team has just seen what it can do, using work they recognise.
"Oh, next time I can ask it to prepare mine also."
That feels like a natural way for adoption to happen. Useful examples appear during the working day. Motivate the team by doing, not by training alone.
Start with one job
Adding a bot is only the starting point. Someone still has to connect the information it needs and work out how the task gets done.
I'd start with one familiar, repetitive job that the team can check easily, and improve it through actual use. As the output becomes reliable, people have more reason to use it again. They also start spotting other jobs it could help with. The team gets better at implementing AI together, including knowing where human judgement still matters.
More room for work that needs people
When routine work needs less attention, there's more room to explore a new business line, build a new function or serve different clients. That's work that needs people to think, experiment and make decisions.
That's why I'm interested in AI agent products like Grok Bot, Muse and Dots, and the idea of bringing agents into the messaging platforms companies already use.
I think this could be the next phase of AI adoption: more of the team working with AI as part of their normal day. And it might start with someone asking, "Who is the other guy in the chat?"
Originally published on LinkedIn. Want to discuss this further? Get in touch.
