#communication skills in 2024

[toptips]

Top 2024 Tips for Personal & Professional Growth

[theacecouple]

For the first time in history, we are pleased to announce that the state of Kansas is formally recognizing Ace Week!!!

[painted-doe]

Back in 2016, we adopted a system in our house for discussing distressing political news that I highly recommend. We basically use the traffic light consent system to check in with each other’s mental state before we bring up a news topic.

Me: (just saw a news story that I am dying to share) “How’s your traffic light for politics right now?”

Red: Nope, can’t take any political discussion right now, but maybe we can talk about it later. (Red usually also gets you a hug and a kiss and a check-in on your stress levels.)

Yellow: Go ahead if it’s minor political news. Maybe hold back if it’s very distressing or about something hateful. I may want you to shut things down if it’s too depressing or infuriating, but I will communicate if it gets that bad.

Green: *stuffing popcorn in mouth* Sure, hit me, what has that bastard done now?

This system has saved us both much frustration with each other. It makes it easy to gently shut a conversation down without making anyone feel rejected or overwhelmed because you both understood each other’s limits and desires going into the conversation.

You can also adopt it for other topics that cause you anxiety, like family drama. And it’s extremely useful for setting boundaries with neurodivergent loved ones who may not pick up on social cues as easily as others.

I hope it helps someone out there protect their peace!

[xreanimatedcorpse]

Choosing peace and NOT finishing my authority drawing to work on (checks notes) ….empathy, esprit de corps, suggestion, and endurance. Wow. Um!!

So… for this drawing, it’s not my skill design of him per se but instead a fusion of authority with another character completely independent from Disco Elysium. IF YOU KNOW THE CHARACTER AND/OR GAME. DUDE. 💍‼️‼️‼️

Authority looks like he’s a game over screen 😭

[lefthookofficial]

Piggybacking off my last post, the fact that this whole convo exists is wild.

Especially because… well the reasons are pretty obvious, I think.

Like, “I like these guys but they should keep their mouths shut when their livelihoods are threatened because speaking their minds might make some people feel bad 😢”. As if content creators are just machines that dispense entertainment.

If you think blatantly hateful rhetoric is “just another point of view”, you have no business in this fan community. Just leave, you won’t be missed.

For the life of me I can’t imagine being a fan of such a diverse and inclusive group while also having absolutely no problem with bigotry and people who support it.

As a certain highly toxic ex-Piplup might say…

“That’s EMBARRASSING!!”

[dicediceking]

Day 7 + 8: Passport + Hike

Yeah I know Passport looks more like a license or ID but idc

I've been reading Thinking Skills and I'm obsessed! We've just met Desire!! I love her (no spoilers, I'm like 2 chapts away from finishing) I don't know if she has like a canon design by her creator, I just used mine but slightly different

Hike is kinda lazy but I'm very tired......

I think i might just commit to the 2 prompts every other day, since that's what I've been doing

[age-of-moonknight]

“The Killing of Moon Knight,” Vengeance of the Moon Knight (Vol. 2/2024), #9.

Writer: Jed MacKay; Penciler and Inker: Devmalya Pramanik; Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg; Letterer: Cory Petit

[the-river-rix]

Zach Addy Bones is not for the weak

[tomatotales]

There is some discourse on if the trouple would make things worse and yeah I think so but what if i want them worse

[gleefulpoppet]

A New Year's Gift for You!

This is a "game" I created for one of my stories that I wanted to share with everyone! You can print the cards (detailed instructions included) or use the questions digitally! Please feel free to make copies or share the file with whoever you'd like. Wishing you the best in the New Year! ⭐💖

You can download it from my box account (copy and paste the link) I didn't want anyone to think they were about to get rickrolled 😍 https://app.box.com/s/yle14qfh88rbm6bbik89qsd1tniziz6s

[chaztalk]

A Story About a Grandpa and Grandma Who Returned Back to Their Youth

Studio: Gekkou (Temple)

Summary: Ine and Shouzou, two pensioners well into their 80s, are mysteriously returned to their 20s one night.

Hey! Tonbu

Studio: OLM (The Apothecary Diaries)

Summary: The story begins with Igarashi, who was disqualified as a pro golfer after a certain "incident" and thus moves to Kagoshima Prefecture's Tokara Islands to step out of the limelight. On these islands known as "Japan's last unexplored wilderness," he encounters a naive girl named Tonbo. As it turns out, these supposedly unexplored islands have a homemade golf course, where Tonbo plays every day. She demonstrates genius-level prowess, playing every kind of shot with just one golf club, a 3-iron. Igarashi is amazed at Tonbo's talent, even as he harbors doubts about her only using a 3-iron. Yet, hidden deep in Tonbo's heart lies a painful, sad past...

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World

Studio: Studio Mother (More Than a Married Coupl, But not Lovers.)

Summary: After thirty-five years of perfectly ordinary life, a run-of-the-mill businessman suddenly drops dead…only to be reborn in another world! Now he must live as Ars Louvent, scion of a minor noble family and wielder of a fabulous skill: Appraisal, the power to perceive the strengths and abilities of others at a glance. He’ll need it, too, because there are plenty of problems to solve in the Louvent family’s territory! Ars only has one choice: recruit the most talented individuals his skill can find, and rise up to new heights in his brand new world!

Wind Breaker

Studio: CloverWorks (Spy x Family)

Summary: Haruka Sakura wants nothing to do with weaklings—he's only interested in the strongest of the strong. He’s just started at Furin High School, a school of degenerates known only for their brawling strength—strength they use to protect their town from anyone who wishes it ill. But Haruka’s not interested in being a hero or being part of any sort of team—he just wants to fight his way to the top!

Whisper Me a Love Song

Studio: Yokohama Animation Lab, Cloud Hearts

Summary: Bubbly, energetic first-year high school student Himari falls head over heels for her senpai Yori after hearing her band perform on the first day of school. Himari tells Yori she just loves her, and, to Himari’s surprise, Yori says she loves Himari back! But when Himari realizes that she and her senpai are feeling two different kinds of love, she begins to ask herself what “love” really means…

[mothsakura]

Curious by what you mean when u say UI "learned the hard way," did they try to bribe someone specific into being their friend, or just in general? 👀

Sort of both? They knew their council would often use bribery as a way for other councils to obey them (despite their council having only 40 individuals! That is so so tiny for a council! Their council was very controversial even before building UI). So really they tried to send over a few expensive items to their other neighbor, Chasing/Grey Wind (I hc that CW/GW was an unapproved model for quite some time, and after a while of finally waiting to be approved, there was a slight mix-up in the documents that never really got fixed. Basically due a loophole, they now have two variations of their name), in hopes of managing to befriend them too. CW/GW had sent the items back to UI, stating that unfortunately they do not need it. UI has taken this as CW/GW rejecting the idea of friendship (despite that not being the case, CW/GW really just didn't have any use for fancy expensive ancient masks and jewelry, unlike UI who likes to collect fancy things), and has learned that you cannot gain friends just by throwing expensive stuff at them! UI still wants to be friends with CW/GW, they are just trying to stay low and not talk to CW/GW in fear that their plan to gain a friend might fail.... poor thang..

[raffaellopalandri]

A good leader

Bloganuary writing promptWhat makes a good leader?View all responses Today’s prompt could be used as a main topic for a book, and it also represents one of the most frequent questions I am asked when I support a customer. So, as I take the idea for one of my future books, I will leave you here with a very condensed answer. Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com The Enduring Qualities of a…

[xreanimatedcorpse]

Doodle so i can move on.. sorry Esprit I’ll get back to you…

Anyways. This is why I think ravens might fit,,, traveling in pairs like partners? Quarrelsome, but devotion to their families? It feels very Esprit de Corps.

[tofupixel]

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. (free trial, but:) $19.99 premium or $$ monthly

ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

���Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗ << it's a link, click it!!

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸 How to choose a canvas size

When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.

What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.

Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:

I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.

If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.

It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

My other tutorials (so far): How to draw Simple Grass for a game Hue Shifting

[jcmarchi]

Navigating AI Deployment: Avoiding Pitfalls and Ensuring Success

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/navigating-ai-deployment-avoiding-pitfalls-and-ensuring-success/

Navigating AI Deployment: Avoiding Pitfalls and Ensuring Success

The path to AI isn’t a sprint – it’s a marathon, and businesses need to pace themselves accordingly. Those who run before they have learned to walk will falter, joining the graveyard of businesses who tried to move too quickly to reach some kind of AI finish line. The truth is, there is no finish line. There is no destination at which a business can arrive and say that AI has been sufficiently conquered. According to McKinsey, 2023 was AI’s breakout year, with around 79% of employees saying they’ve had some level of exposure to AI. However, breakout technologies don’t follow linear paths of development; they ebb and flow, rise and fall, until they become part of the fabric of business. Most businesses understand that AI is a marathon and not a sprint, and that’s worth bearing in mind.

Take Gartner’s Hype Cycle for instance. Every new technology that emerges goes through the same series of stages on the hype cycle, with very few exceptions. Those stages are as follows: Innovation Trigger; Peak of Inflated Expectations; Trough of Disillusionment; Slope of Enlightenment, and Plateau of Productivity. In 2023, Gartner placed Generative AI firmly in the second stage: the Peak of Inflated Expectations. This is when hype levels surrounding the technology are at their greatest, and while some businesses are able to capitalize on it early and soar ahead, the vast majority will struggle through the Trough of Disillusionment and might not even make it to the Plateau of Productivity.

All of this is to say that businesses need to tread carefully when it comes to AI deployment. While the initial allure of the technology and its capabilities can be tempting, it’s still very much finding its feet and its limits are still being tested. That doesn’t mean that businesses should steer clear of AI, but they should recognize the importance of setting a sustainable pace, defining clear goals, and meticulously planning their journey. Leadership teams and employees need to be fully brought into the idea, data quality and integrity need to be guaranteed, compliance objectives need to be met – and that’s just the beginning.

By starting small and outlining achievable milestones, businesses can harness AI in a measured and sustainable way, ensuring they move with the technology instead of leaping ahead of it. Here are some of the most common pitfalls we’re seeing in 2024:

Pitfall 1: AI Leadership

It’s a fact: without buy-in from the top, AI initiatives will flounder. While employees might discover generative AI tools for themselves and incorporate them into their daily routines, it exposes companies to issues around data privacy, security, and compliance. Deployment of AI, in any capacity, needs to come from the top, and a lack of interest in AI from the top can be just as dangerous as going in too hard.

Take the health insurance sector in the US for instance. In a recent survey by ActiveOps, it was revealed that 70% of operations leaders believe C-suite executives aren’t interested in AI investment, creating a substantial barrier to innovation. While they can see the benefits, with nearly 8 in 10 agreeing that AI could help to significantly improve operational performance, lack of support from the top is proving a frustrating barrier to progress.

Where AI is being used, organizational buy-in and leadership support is essential. Clear communication channels between leadership and AI project teams should be established. Regular updates, transparent progress reports, and discussions about challenges and opportunities will help keep leadership engaged and informed. When leaders are well-versed in the AI journey and its milestones, they are more likely to provide the ongoing support necessary to navigate through complexities and unforeseen issues.

Pitfall 2: Data Quality and Integrity

Using poor quality data with AI is like putting diesel into a gasoline car. You’ll get poor performance, broken parts, and a costly bill to fix it. AI systems rely on vast amounts of data to learn, adapt, and make accurate predictions. If the data fed into these systems is flawed, incomplete, misclassified or biased, the results will inevitably be unreliable. This not only undermines the effectiveness of AI solutions but can also lead to significant setbacks and mistrust in AI capabilities.

Our research reveals that 90% of operations leaders say too much effort is needed to extract insights from their operational data – too much of it is siloed and fragmented across multiple systems, and riddled with inconsistencies. This is another pitfall businesses face when considering AI – their data is simply not ready.

To address this and improve their data hygiene, businesses must invest in robust data governance frameworks. This includes establishing clear data standards, ensuring data is consistently cleaned and validated, and implementing systems for ongoing data quality monitoring. By creating a single source of truth, organizations can enhance the reliability and accessibility of their data, which will have the added bonus of smoothing the path for AI.

Pitfall 3: AI Literacy

AI is a tool, and tools are only effective when wielded by the right hands. The success of AI initiatives hinges not only on technology but also on the people who use it, and those people are in short supply. According to Salesforce, nearly two-thirds (60%) of IT professionals identified a shortage of AI skills as their number one barrier to AI deployment. That sounds like businesses simply aren’t ready for AI, and they need to start looking to address that skills gap before they start investing in AI technology.

That doesn’t have to mean going on a hiring spree, however. Training programs can be introduced to upskill the current workforce, ensuring they have the capabilities to use AI effectively. Building this kind of AI literacy within the organization involves creating an environment where continuous learning is encouraged – workshops, online courses, and hands-on projects can help demystify AI and make it more accessible to employees at all levels, laying the groundwork for faster deployment and more tangible benefits.

What next?

Successful AI adoption requires more than just investment in technology; it requires a well-paced, strategic approach that secures buy-in from employees and support from leadership. It also requires businesses to be self-aware and alive to the fact that technology has limits – while interest in AI is soaring and adoption is at an all-time high, there’s a good chance that the AI bubble will burst before it course corrects and becomes the steady, reliable tool that businesses need it to be. Remember, we’re now at the Peak of Inflated Expectations, and the Trough of Disillusionment still needs to be weathered. Businesses keen to invest in AI can prepare for the incoming storm by readying their employees, establishing AI usage policies, and ensuring their data is clean, well-organized, and correctly classified and integrated across their business