18 Kellogg Insight Hammond is a professor of computer science at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering. He is also cofounder and scientific advisor for Narrative Science, which uses an AI-powered tool to turn data into stories that can be easily read by real people. And he speaks regu - larly with executives around the country—including at Kellogg—about artificial intelligence. In his experience, many executives, while eager to explore the impact AI could have on their business, have a fundamental misunderstanding about just what it is. They view AI as a single magic bullet that can make a firm more efficient or profitable or resistant to disruption. They don’t yet see it as a collection of technologies, operating on a wide range of data types, and designed to address a huge swath of problems, from rec - ognizing what is happening now, to predicting what will happen next, to aiding in decision-making. As such, they are asking a lot of questions about AI—but they tend to be the wrong questions. “Execs will often ask, ‘What should our AI strategy be?’ That’s just like asking, ‘What should our shovel strategy be?’” says Hammond. “But it really depends. How many holes do you need to dig? How deep do those holes need to be? How quickly do you need to dig those holes? Do you dig those holes locally? Regionally? Globally? Are there rules and reg - ulations around digging holes? Do you have performance metrics with regards to digging holes?” Instead of seeking out a single perfect tool to harness, or even a single right path toward technological success, Hammond argues, these lead - ers need to do what they do best: think carefully about the business Based on insights from Kris Hammond