22| Waits for others to try AI first

What’s happening?

They hesitate to try AI because they don’t see others using it. If AI isn’t visibly embedded in their team or role, they assume it’s untested, impractical, or not relevant to them.

A product designer spends hours manually adjusting layouts, even though an AI-powered design tool could speed up the process. They hesitate. No one on their team talks about using AI, and their lead designer still does everything by hand. If AI was really useful, wouldn’t leadership be pushing for it?

How to Spot This in Your Team

How to spot it

Check off the signs you’ve seen to get your next move:

People say:

"Is anyone else actually using this?"
"Let’s wait for a solid case study before we dive in."
"If AI was really that useful, wouldn’t our leaders be pushing for it?"

Other signs:

Teams wait for approval instead of running small experiments.
They watch competitors for AI wins instead of finding their own.
Conversations about AI go in circles. No one takes the first step.
They’ll use AI, but only if everyone else does first.
AI gets tested on small tasks but never for ‘real’ work.

AI Hesitation Profile Finder

Who’s hesitating?

Find the mindset holding your team back, and how to fix it.

Answer two quick questions to identify the profile driving AI resistance in your team.

🅰 What’s Happening?

Which best describes your team?

Follows the crowd. They won’t use AI unless people around them do first.
Needs reassurance. They worry AI will create more problems than it solves.
Needs structured proof. They won’t trust AI without clear rules, case studies, or benchmarks.

Your hesitation profile

What's driving them?

[Short explanation]

Try today:

[Tactical action to take immediately]

Quick Wins – Pick One & Take Action!

Quick wins

Choose one quick win to start breaking the "wait and see" cycle.

📍 For teams that hesitate to try first

Run a 1-day “AI experimentation window” where failure is expected and rewarded.
Give teams one specific AI task (e.g., “Use AI to summarise a client email”) and let them compete for the worst AI failure.
Reinforce there is no pressure to use AI long-term, just see what happens when you do.

How to introduce it:
"We’re running a one-day ‘AI test round.’ The goal isn’t to use AI perfectly, it’s to explore how it fails so we know what works. Try one AI task today and share your worst result!"

Action: Announce the AI test round, assign tasks, and reward failures.

📍 For managers & team leads

Instead of highlighting who’s using AI, highlight who isn’t yet.
Create a team AI tracker:
Teams self-report, not as punishment, but as a nudge to move from red to yellow.

How to frame it:
"Most teams here have found at least one way to integrate AI. Where does our team stand? Green = AI in workflow. Yellow = Testing. Red = Not yet. No pressure, but we should know where we are."

Action: Roll out the AI tracker in team meetings and encourage self-movement.

📍 For individuals who hesitate alone

No one tries AI alone. Create AI pairs or small groups that experiment together.
Have each pair set one micro-goal: e.g., “This week, we’ll both use AI to summarise our notes.”
Make sure pairing creates shared accountability and safety.

How to roll it out:
"Trying AI solo can feel intimidating, but learning together builds confidence. Find an ‘AI partner’ and commit to using AI for one task this week. No pressure, just test it and compare experiences!"

Action: Assign AI pairs and set a micro-goal.