How to Build the Right Team for a Successful AI Project Posted on : Aug 12 - 2020

Today, every organization in almost every industry is keen to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand its business, clients, products, and processes. The applications of AI continue to grow. Data is everywhere, but to make it speak we need the right project goals, mindset and resources.

Being a black belt in martial arts helped me reinforce six core life skills in my personal and professional life – belief, communication, respect, honesty, self-esteem, and discipline. As I continued to train, I realized that AI project principals are no different. Believing in yourself and your team members; communicating progress, success, and any fall-backs; respecting one another’s inputs and opinions; being honest about the possibilities and timelines; enabling self-growth while maintaining integrity; and having the right discipline and attitude are all elements that contribute to a successful AI project. I bring all these considerations to my work, including how I build the team for a particular project.

The key roles

The roles on the AI team should be determined by the company’s business processes around defining and creating solutions to problems. Just like any other investment, AI should be business-led, technology-enabled. Starting with a business problem or goal is the first step to understanding the project scope. This is why an executive sponsor or decision maker of the project is a key role that helps articulate what the business is trying to accomplish and why.

Another important role on the team is that of a domain or subject matter expert (SME) who combines the in-depth understanding of the application domain, such as healthcare, with the insights from AI so that pertinent data can be leveraged for AI applications and the most impactful and relevant results can be integrated into existing systems. View More