Three Questions to Ask Before Funding Another AI Initiative

An AI proposal lands on your desk. The platform has been selected, the budget is outlined, and there is even a target launch date.

On paper, it may look ready to approve. But before making that investment, there are a few more important questions to answer. Why is this the right area of the business to invest in? What will need to change for the technology to make a difference? And who will be responsible for making sure it does?

At Interchange, our advisory work helps leaders get underneath the proposal to understand the business problem, the decisions it requires, and what needs to happen next. When it comes to AI, we believe that conversation should begin with three things: focus, rewire, and people.

Focus: Why this investment?

Every AI investment should connect to a business priority.

Start by looking at the two or three areas where the organization has already decided change matters most. Then consider where the proposed initiative fits. What problem is it helping solve, and why is that problem worth addressing now?

That conversation should include both the potential value and the effort required to create it. Define what would make the investment worthwhile and how the business will know whether that value is being delivered.

It is also worth looking at what you already have. Many organizations are paying for technology with capabilities they have not fully explored or adopted. Our operations optimization work often includes reviewing software usage and technology investments for exactly this reason. Sometimes the next step is a new investment. Sometimes it is getting more value out of what is already there.

Either way, the decision should begin with the business need, not the technology.

Rewire: What are we prepared to change?

Once the business case is clear, the next question is what the organization is willing to do differently.

Ask the team to describe the future process in plain language. How will the work change? Which responsibilities will shift? Will AI make an existing process more efficient, or does the opportunity call for rethinking the process itself?

Both can create value, but they require different levels of investment, change, and leadership support.

If the goal is to redesign how work happens, the conversation cannot stop with the technology. Existing processes, responsibilities, approvals, and assumptions may need to change as well. Leaders have to be prepared to make those decisions and give teams room to challenge the way the work operates today.

People: Who will own this after approval?

An AI initiative needs an owner who is accountable for more than getting it launched.

That person should understand the business outcome the organization is trying to achieve and have responsibility for tracking whether the initiative is delivering it. The people who will use the technology should also have a meaningful role in shaping how it works.

That involvement needs to happen early, while decisions can still be influenced. The people closest to the work can identify assumptions, gaps, and practical challenges that may not be obvious in a proposal.

Bringing them into the process also creates something technology alone cannot: ownership.

Before approving the next AI initiative, ask the person responsible to explain the priority, what will change, and how success will be measured. If those answers are difficult to give, there is still work to do before the investment is ready.

At Interchange, we help leaders work through those decisions before technology becomes the answer by default. If you are considering your next AI investment, we can help you determine where it makes sense to focus, what needs to change, and how to build the right people and accountability around it.

Let’s make sure the next AI investment is a business decision worth making.