The planning meetings, the brainstorming, the chaotic moments when you have to make a decision before you have all the information, A.I. He’s my co-pilot. However, it doesn’t mean “cute robot helper”. I treat him like the sharpest strategist, fastest researcher, and most unflinching truth teller.
Stay ahead of the future as CEO of Quantious marketing As an agency partnering with technology companies, my job is to be fast, smart, and infinitely curious. Not only for myself, but also for my clients. Having executive-level AI by your side allows you to operate at scale without sacrificing strategy or soul.
Forget about the AI “hype”. Let’s talk about what you really need to save time to work smarter, experiment faster, and become a creative leader, and this can’t be automated.
1. AI is my executive sparring partner
When you run a fast-growing company, you’re constantly making decisions without knowing all the details. Most people want to be flattered by ChatGPT. I want you to challenge me.
I execute new product ideas, positioning statements, and brand hypotheses through AI, bringing hidden cracks to the surface. I use it to model outcomes, debate assumptions, and poke holes in the “perfect” plan I thought I had.
Your team may be too polite to challenge you. AI won’t do that if you train it well. Every session begins with a persona, such as, “You are my chief strategy officer. Your job is to challenge mediocrity and raise red flags.” Take the time to train them by giving them feedback like, “I agree with that too much. Give me a clearer POV,” or “This sounds like fluff. Please be specific.” And instead of giving a standard response, encourage them to dig deeper. “This idea solves a problem, but I don’t think it’s the best solution. Push me toward something bolder and more efficient. How would someone with 10 times my time, resources, and experience approach it differently?” You might be surprised where this back-and-forth goes.
2. Protect your most valuable assets with AI: Strategic Attention
The less time you spend on mundane administrative tasks, the more time you can spend steering the ship. AI is my secret weapon for cleaning up clutter. I use Bluedot to record and transcribe meetings. This frees up my team’s time to organize and consolidate notes so we can create summaries and next steps in minutes. Also, if you want more details about a discussion, you can also query the transcript to get the information you need and all the context around it.
To use AI to manage your attention, start by: One task you often do (summarize documents, research before meetings, write summary emails) and let AI do the work. If you want to think strategically, you need space to think. AI will give it to you.
3. Don’t miss market movements
You don’t have time to read every analyst report or listen to every podcast (who would?). need Those insights. AI sifts out the signal from the noise.
Perplexity Deep Research turns complex trend reports into briefs to share with your team and clients. Waldo provides a snapshot of the market faster than any analyst team. I also dabbled in AI-powered podcasting. This podcast brings together the most important industry news so you can stay up to date on the go. These complement my other favorite podcasts so you always know about the latest trends and biggest movements in the industry.
4. I baked AI into the organizational chart
At Quantious, AI is not a department. Utilities such as Wi-Fi and electricity.
All teams have access to tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Slack AI. Designers use this to explore creative variations. Operations departments use it to document processes faster. Marketers draft content 10x faster. Technology is not important. What is activation? While not every team member uses these tools every day, having them in your toolkit opens the door wide for experimentation.
I’ve said it before: AI has made remote work more productive, seamless, and well-documented. It’s not just about integrating AI into your workflow. We integrate it into our collective intelligence. The point is not to work faster, but to improve the way we do business overall.
Remember, AI is not an intern. it is the most strategic hire.
The truth is, your team doesn’t need you to be a nimble engineer. You are expected to become an AI-savvy leader. AI is no longer a workflow tool. It’s your seat at the table. Treating them like trusted advisors will help you make faster, sharper decisions without sacrificing strategy or spirit.
Lisa Larson-Kelly is Founder and CEO of Quantious.
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