The AI Organization

Chapter 9. The AI Heroes

I started this book by discussing how, beyond organizational models, strategies, technologies, and use cases, the true secret behind successful AI organizations is their people—amazing people driven by a culture that empowers them. AI heroes make AI organizations.

But what makes an AI hero? I’ve wondered about this myself many times. What makes the AI heroes like the ones whose stories I’ve told in this book special? What do they do differently than the rest of us? What can we learn from them? What do they have in common? The AI heroes I’ve introduced you to in this book have very diverse backgrounds, education levels, cultural origins, and motivations. To find that common thread, I had to go back to one of my favorite books.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is one of the most beautiful books you can read. It tells the story of a Spanish shepherd who has a vision of what the author refers to as his “personal legend.” A personal legend is one’s mission in life, our ultimate purpose. In the case of the shepherd, his legend was to seek a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. Without a moment’s doubt, he sells his flock of sheep and starts a multiyear journey from the beautiful coast of Andalusia to the pyramids of Egypt through the desert.

The only reason for the shepherd to go on this crazy journey is his sense of purpose. And that’s the most important attribute our AI heroes have in common—they all have a purpose, they all found their personal legend. Whether ...