At this year’s Braze Forge conference, AI was more about practical applications than a magic show. The product launches were the most advanced tools imaginable but presented as part of the natural evolution of computational power: exponential, yes, but familiar.
In the AI Decisioning Masterclass, the presenters drew throughlines from the space race of the 1950s and 60s—when calculations were done by hand on chalkboards because the computers couldn’t handle the math—to today, when we carry supercomputers in our pockets. Hidden Figures scenes ran through my head as my definition of Artificial Intelligence both expanded and became more grounded.
Throughout the sessions I attended, the focus was on the practical integration of AI in consumer marketing systems, rather than the more sensational text- and image-generation. This shift in emphasis prompted me to seek examples of what’s possible for a Fortune 500 enterprise compared to a mid-size company or startup.
For nimble corporations, the conversation has already shifted from efficiency to effectiveness: moving from “try AI” to ROI-based experiments tied to real-world operations.
For smaller teams, the challenge is time and capacity, making it even more essential to anchor every experiment to meaningful growth targets and assess whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
You can’t take advantage of these tools if you haven’t tied them to real business goals. And you’ll fail if you don’t empower people—real, live humans—to do the thoughtful, complex groundwork: implementing, monitoring, and adapting as the machines learn. This human touch is integral to the success of AI implementation.
AI isn’t a wand you wave and presto-chango.
It’s the newest and possibly the fanciest tool in the box, but still, just a tool.
