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I attended an event at Newlab Detroit yesterday called Ugly Talks: Hard wins, setbacks, and what works in 2026 about what it really takes to integrate AI into workflows and organizations. It featured a panel of four AI experts from different industries who shared their experiences of what’s worked and what hasn’t.
Listening to their stories of pitfalls and opportunities, I noticed a few themes in the conversation: translating AI jargon into analog terms, willingness to fail, complex ethical and market questions about use of AI, who owns the results of what AI produces.
These themes resonated with my own reflections on how leadership can influence AI adoption, and more importantly, the well-being (or not) of a team.
After building with AI for almost a year and learning from experts and builders across the map, here are my observations on what traits can help a small or mid-size team move forward. Let me know what you’re seeing from your vantage point.
The conversation yesterday zeroed in on education multiple times. This was partially about thinking inclusively about who doesn’t have access to AI (or the Internet for that matter). It also included how individuals actually learn what AI is, what the terms mean, and ultimately, what its capabilities are….
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