Part one of a story of the race to implement AI in organizations.
Once upon a time in a great kingdom of clouds and servers, there lived mighty giants called the Hyperscalers. Their names were whispered with reverence far and wide—AWS, Google, and others like them. They came bearing shining gifts: tools of great power, wrapped in promises of transformation and cost savings.
They visited every village and castle, proclaiming, “Behold! With our magic talking mirrors powered by Generative AI, your kingdom will prosper! Fall behind, and doom awaits!” And the rulers, hearing this prophecy, trembled. For none wished to be seen as “behind.”
The giants offered feasts of free workshops and golden scrolls of “pilot programs.” In exchange, they asked only for a small thing—a promise that, once the magic began, all future treasures (and data) would flow through their gates, for data was the true prize.
At first, the villagers cheered. The guild of Developers was especially delighted. “Finally, we can build wondrous new things!” they shouted. The Hyperscalers praised them, whispering promises of glory and recognition. Yet in the corner of the hall, the guilds of Product and UX asked quietly, “But what problem are we solving?” The giants smiled and turned back to the Developers, for they had no patience for The Truth.
Soon, word of this new “magic” spread through the land. The Rulers of other kingdoms heard the tales and cried, “Our rivals have it! We must have it too!” They poured coin into their own pilots, driven not by purpose, but by fear. Alas, they did not realize that the competing kingdoms did not really have this magic. It was all mythology, spread by the giants and by the scribes who knew of news from other lands.
The giants grew richer, even when the enchantments fizzled. More than nine in ten spells failed, but none of that mattered, for the giants were paid regardless and they were gleeful for they had the data that they coveted.
In one kingdom, a lone Developer, eager to impress the King, created a talking mirror for the people, a chatbot, stitched together from the scraps of old parchments and broken promises. It spoke with confidence but knew little. Yet when the court saw it, they cheered, “Marvelous! Our product now has AI!” The people, however, asked, “Why is this here and why did you waste time on this? This provides me no value. I need this magic you keep shouting about to actually do work for me.”
The wise Product Keeper sighed. She had asked from the start, “Whom does this serve?” But her voice was drowned beneath the applause.
The giants departed with full coffers and the kingdoms’ data in their grasp. The nobles left with their pride intact, and the people remained waiting for something that truly helped them.
The moral: Beware of wizards selling wonder without purpose. Magic without meaning is but smoke, and those who chase it often lose sight of the fire they were meant to tend.
Read part 2, The Parable of the Clockwork Servants here.
The opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of any employers or clients.
