Written by
Aurelija Vycaite
Jons Janssens
AI & Technology
This article is based on Conway & Co’s presentation "Beyond the Hype - How AI Impacts the Backbone of Your Business" at the private equity event "Handen in de Klei" in Amsterdam.
How to approach AI?
“AI is the first technology in history that can make decisions and create new things by itself. It’s not a tool in our hands, but an agent that can act.”
Yuval Noah Hariri
For the first time in computing history, machines are learning to speak our language, not the other way around.
Computers are finally smart enough to communicate like humans. This fundamental shift is why AI represents such an exciting turning point in technology.
That being said, AI is not a magic machine or a silver bullet that will solve all of your problems. Think of AI as a smart intern who can help with bringing your ideas to life.
Reality Check: Most companies rush to implement AI without understanding their data foundation. It's like trying to build a house on sand.
Before your first AI project, ask yourself: Do you know where your customer data actually lives?
AI without data is hell. @Armand Ruiz
01 Getting Started
Essential Tools
The foundation of your AI toolkit starts with these core platforms, each with its own strength:
ChatGPT (OpenAI) - Best for reasoning and problem-solving
Perplexity - Best for research and fact-finding
Claude (Anthropic) - Best for writing and coding
For specialized tasks, the landscape of AI tools has expanded dramatically. TLDV can transform your meeting notes into actionable insights, while Julius helps make sense of complex data.
When you need to create content, consider these specialized tools:
Synthesia - For video content creation
PhotoAI - For professional imagery
Whispr Flow - For voice-to-text conversion
AI is like a smart intern: it helps evaluate complex ideas & discover your blind spots.
Building Trust: The 10-Hour Rule
The best way to overcome AI skepticism is through hands-on experience. Here's how to build confidence systematically:
Choose a topic you're expert in
Spend 10+ hours asking AI questions about this topic
Give feedback where it excels and fails
Use these insights to build confidence in its capabilities
This approach serves two purposes: you'll quickly learn where AI excels and fails, while building confidence in its capabilities through direct experience.
A Quick Tip
Keep notes on what works and what doesn't. Track which questions get great answers, where AI adds unique value, and where it falls short. Test different phrasings and build on previous responses. You'll quickly learn how to use AI effectively.
Practical Applications for Today
AI can enhance your work in multiple ways. Instead of viewing it as a replacement, think of it as a powerful tool for:
Brainstorming - Generate ideas and explore alternatives
Evaluation - Get objective analysis of your concepts
Enhancement - Improve existing work
Analysis - Extract insights from documents and data
The key is starting with familiar processes and gradually expanding your use as you build confidence.
Impact on e-commerce
From analyzing customer behavior to predicting inventory needs, AI is reshaping online retail in eight key ways. It handles the front-end work - like personalizing marketing and adjusting prices in real-time - while also powering behind-the-scenes operations through smarter product recommendations and supply chain forecasting. These tools aren't just nice-to-have features anymore; they're becoming essential for staying competitive in modern e-commerce.
A day in the life of a digital leader with AI
8:30 AM: Your AI dashboard has compiled overnight analytics and flags something notable: three competitors dropped prices on similar products in your summer collection. Based on preset margins and historical data, the AI suggests price adjustments. After reviewing the logic, you approve changes for select items.
10:00 AM: At the morning stand-up, you're reviewing AI-processed customer service transcripts from the past 48 hours. A pattern of complaints about your new checkout flow emerges - something that might have taken weeks to spot manually. The AI has categorized the issues and suggested specific UX improvements.
2:00 PM: During your new market strategy session, AI tools work in the background, testing ad copy variations across channels and learning customer segment preferences. It's not making autonomous decisions, but providing data-driven suggestions for your marketing team.
4:30 PM: You review tomorrow's automated tasks: competitor price monitoring, inventory alerts, and A/B test analysis. The AI handles data grunt work while you focus on strategic decisions.
AI becomes your strategic co-pilot
While most focus on AI as a collection of tools, its true value comes from how it reshapes a leader's perspective. When AI handles the constant monitoring of metrics, trends, and anomalies, you begin to think differently about opportunity. You start asking better questions, seeing patterns earlier, and making decisions with a wider lens.
The Game Isn't AI vs Human
The problem:
Technology (and AI) is not part of a company's DNA and it struggles to create value after heavy investments. Investors and executives get frustrated with technical complexity that blocks their strategic initiatives. Maybe even afraid of what they don’t understand.
Three critical principles emerge from successful AI implementations:
01 AI won’t replace you. But people who know how to use AI might.
02 Garbage in → garbage out. AI models are only as good as the amount and quality of data you feed it with.
03 Be innovative. Companies with the most original data sources and the ability to use them will win the game.
The choice: compete in the race or get run over.
Technology and AI dependency are here to stay, so start experimenting to develop a new skill and find portfolio opportunities.
When it comes to technology adoption, our advice is to crawl → walk → run. Especially with the speed of AI.
Your e-com tech stack
Each layer (Marketing, Sales Channels, Commerce, Service, etc.) represents a different aspect of the business, but they're all interconnected through data. What makes this architecture powerful is how it shows that AI's value isn't just in individual applications, but in its ability to create connections and insights across previously siloed systems.
It's not just a stack - it's a conversation. AI turns your technology landscape from a collection of tools into an interactive ecosystem where data flows and speaks across every layer of your business.
Staying Current: Your AI Network
The field moves quickly, but you can stay ahead by following these key experts in the field:
Cassie Kozyrkov - Google's Decision Intelligence pioneer
Ethan Mollick - Leading academic on practical AI
Andrew Ng - Deep learning visionary
Allie Miller - AI strategy expert
Ben Tossel - Practical AI implementation specialist
Taking Action This Week
Start small but start now. Here's your action plan:
01 Install one core thinking tool
02 Pick a familiar process to enhance with AI
03 Spend 30 minutes experimenting
04 Document what works
05 Share learnings with your team
Conway & Co is your on-demand CTO for e-commerce.
Learn more.
