Building a Thriving Human Workforce While Maximizing AI ROI | Learn From Lexi Reese, CEO of Lanai

The CEO and Co-Founder of Lanai, Lexi Reese, joins us on the Enterprise Unlocked Podcast for Enterprise Talk to discuss how enterprise leaders can get the best out of their AI investments while building a culture where the human workforce thrives. The central question is how leaders can map their AI investment returns and use AI to improve customer service and employee experience simultaneously. She proposes a roadmap that goes well beyond viewing AI as labor arbitrage, focusing instead on the myriad possibilities of human-AI collaboration. She sketches out the shape of a possible ‘win-win’ play, that’s achievable for all enterprises. Alongside her predictions for enterprise AI’s future, she also lays out a three-step framework for leaders to plan deployments that deliver AI ROI. “You should say your vision out loud for what AI means to your workforce. Make sure you don't just put the financial goal, but put the customer experience goal and the employee work life goal.” ~ Lexi Reese Key Questions Answered: • What are the major stages of an enterprise’s AI journey and does it differ by company size? • Which stage are most enterprises at and how do they climb up the ladder? • What are the characteristics of sensible and profitable AI deployments? • Is there a framework that organizations can use to figure out what can and should be done by humans and what can and should be done by AI? • What kind of tools and processes can enterprises use to understand where AI is actually being used? • Where can AI be used for maximum impact? Which functions should be automated, and which should not? • How can companies build up their human workforce along with deploying AI? • AI vs. jobs: What’s your perspective and what’s your prediction for the future? • What would an AI-first planning process look like? Any framework CXOs should follow? Key Themes and Takeaways From the Conversation: 1. Getting Clarity on the ROI of AI Investments • Leaders must know what AI work is being done in the organization and which AI tools are being used • It is essential to quantify AI’s impact in the organization and identify risks • With this data, leaders can make informed decisions about the future of AI 2. Levels of AI workers • Level 1: AI Assistant to existing employees • Level 2: AI Agent assisting employees, and their work being overseen by humans • Level 3: Fully autonomous AI agents managing entire workflows 3. The Values and Motivation of Leadership • Viewing AI as labor arbitrage without considering long-term impact can hinder AI ROI • Leaders would benefit from focusing on providing better customer service and products using AI, as well as providing higher-value work for employees • There should be a focus on redesigning work, workflows and hierarchies for human employees 4. Human-AI Collaboration Is Key • Human-Agent teams are the superior operating model for enterprises • Leaders need to be transparent with employees about their vision for AI and their workforce • Ask employees to experiment with AI to find the best models, and turn these experiments into actionable workflows 5. Redesigning Human Work • AI use redefines org charts, allowing all levels of workers to do superior work and shine • Humans can focus more on creativity, judgment, and connection in the AI era 6. Where Does AI Work Best? • Not in one particular task or area, but specific workflows within most tasks • Repeatable tasks with a playbook and clearly mappable steps are good candidates for AI automation • Humans shouldn’t be replaced with AI in tasks that are highly trust-impacting, high-stakes, and require judgment 7. Predictions • AI is going to be a finance and operations story rather than one of dramatic innovation • There is going to be a huge increase in the number of autonomous agents • Humans will soon be reviewing AI work, rather than AI just assisting humans who are doing their work 8. Three-Step AI Planning Process • Step 1: Map out the present functionality, purpose, effect, and use of AI in your organization. • Step 2: Begin the conversation to scale the possibilities with AI through a targeted approach. • Step 3: Execution: Stop duplicative work, streamline tools and workflows with AI. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:25 Podcast Welcome 01:10 AI in Enterprises 01:33 Stages of AI Adoption 02:45 Climbing the AI Ladder 03:42 Tracking AI Impact 05:02 Managing AI Workforce 06:04 Ideal AI Management 07:20 AI Workforce Levels 09:10 Profitable AI Deployments 11:02 AI and Labor Dynamics 13:17 Values-Driven AI Strategy 16:24 Human vs. AI Roles 17:21 Setting AI Vision 19:09 AI in Organizational Structure 21:00 AI in Sales and Marketing 23:09 Future AI Predictions 26:20 AI's Financial Impact 29:16 Human Role in AI Era 31:02 Encouraging Creativity 34:14 AI Planning for CXOs 36:49 Conclusion