Let’s take a moment to step back from all the AI hype and talk about one of its side effects: AI anxiety.

Like many technologies, AI tends to highlight (or exaggerate) some of our underlying issues. Specifically, we mean a sort of technological imposter syndrome: Is my business or team ‘‘keeping up with technology”? Are we “closing the tech gap”? How do we stack up against our competitors’ tech stack (or at least the public-facing part of their tech stack)? Or, if we’re leading our competition, how long will we “maintain our technical edge”?

In other words, we now have the ‘Am I doing enough’ edition of AI anxiety. So what can we do about it?

Conquering AI Imposter Syndrome

We’re all familiar with Imposter Syndrome. It’s a persistent feeling that you’re not quite good enough to do your job – despite your qualifications, training, education, and experience. Most of us get a similar feeling with new tech. Because AI has upped the pace of innovation, we worry that we’re not keeping up with this faster pace. And now that businesses of all sizes can use AI, we worry that we’re missing out on something essential.

What do we do? It’s natural to launch into a modified panic-buy and start incorporating AI tools with minimal research and planning. However, decisions fueled by panic rarely work. Instead, we need to step back, soothe our collective anxiety, and follow the same human-centric steps that we CXers know and love.

Using Human-Centeredness as a Guiding Star

Before you do anything else, remember this: 

Success is not about being first. It’s about being intentional. 

It’s about meeting your customers’ needs better than your competitors can. So there's no need to rush into an AI overhaul. Instead, approach it purposefully and calmly.

Wherever you are in your tech adoption, we recommend periodically reviewing your technology choices and assessing how they meet customer and employee needs. If you see a real issue or a gap that AI can fill, great! Follow the steps we outline in Bite-Size CX below to start the pre-implementation process.

If you don’t have a real need for AI, don’t stress about implementing it! Use the same steps in Bite-Size CX to prioritize your research around potential AI tools that you might use in the future. 

In summary, don’t innovate just to keep up with Jones Products or Acme Services; keep your focus on your internal and external customers. Remember, it’s not about being the most technically advanced company; it’s about meeting human needs.