Innovating with AI - The AI Innovator’s Dilemma

Hey Innovator,

If finding or refining an AI idea feels hard, it’s probably because you’re in this squiggle:

The Design Squiggle is a simple illustration that Damien Newman created to capture the feeling of going from uncertainty to focus.

Naturally, how you get there is with a bit of research, conceptualizing, and design.

However, not all phases are created equal.

In many ways, it’s much easier to get to the finish line because, the clearer you get, the faster you can build your idea as an AI process or product.

On the flip side, the earlier you are in the process, is the harder it can feel to get started, and even keep going.

To put it more bluntly, the hardest part of building an AI process or product can actually be finding the right idea in the first place.

The reason for that is something I call:

The AI Innovator’s Dilemma

Inside the AI Incubator, I teach our students that when it comes to building an AI process or product, they’ll need to combine four things:

• Unique Subject Matter Expertise
• Artificial Intelligence Model
• Your Traditional Software or Tools
• Your Platform and User Interface

However, what’s not clear is in what order you should figure this out.
It’s also not clear if one part matters more than the other.

And, if you’ve got a human brain that works like all the others, then your problem-solving brain might try to solve all of these at once, which creates the confusion and eventual burnout that I call The AI Innovator’s Dilemma.

This dilemma is what happens when you get stuck between the research and concept phases of The Design Squiggle above.

It sucks…and unfortunately, while the Design Squiggle shows you the problem you’re in, it doesn’t really show you how to get out of it.

The Cure To The Design Squiggle and AI Innovation Dilemma

Focus on 1 step at a time.

Then, break that step down into doable mini-steps.

That’s it.

Let’s walk you through it right now:
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FACT: Your Unique Subject Matter Expertise is the #1 thing to focus on first.

Why? Two related reasons:

1 - Unique expertise is the precursor to the unique utility of your AI idea.

Unique utility, otherwise known as usefulness, is the #1 differentiator that will set your AI process or product apart from the thousands of AI tools that are flooding the internet.

“But Rob, I’m creating an AI idea just for me” - fair point, and my point still stands because you likely have at least 5 AI ideas inside of you.

To make sure you’re building the most valuable one, you’ll still want to make sure you’re focused on the right part of your unique expertise to make that idea uniquely useful to you (or your team, or your family depending on who else might eventually use it).

Now, if you’re planning for others to use your AI idea…

2 - Unique utility is also what makes someone choose your AI process or product.

Just imagine someone goes to the homepage of a website like AI Tool Report and searches for [Topic Area Your AI Process or Product falls under].

Then, they see 10 results.

Sure, how many downloads, rankings, and such will play a factor, but above all, it’s going to be how uniquely of a good fit your AI process or product is for solving their problem that will determine if they download it or not.

Now, I’m not saying you should upload your tool there, but whether it’s AI Tool Report, or hearing about your thing on a podcast, or another email list like ours, the #1 question they are silently asking will be:

“How does this solve my problem really well?”

Unique utility based on your unique expertise is how you create the answer to that.

So, if there’s anything you take away from this email, let it be this:

To find your AI idea faster, focus on your unique areas of expertise.

Does this match your experience?

Reply and let me know.

– Rob from Innovating with AI

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​P.S. Next week, I'll be opening up enrollment to our latest program, The AI Idea Pipeline - a repeatable way to turn your professional expertise or personal experience into an AI idea that can be built in 30 days.

The only way to hear about it is to join the AI Idea Pipeline wait-list here - if not, you'll continue getting our regular IWAI emails to keep you in the know of what's happening in AI.