AI and Creativity: Why Timing Matters More Than Tools

AI is being integrated into the ways we work at many levels, but just because your teams are using the tools doesn’t mean you’re seeing better results. In fact, sometimes the results are just the opposite: More churn, confusion, and running in different directions without a strong connection to strategy or the outcomes that matter most for your org. In fact, much of the frustration I’m seeing among leaders and teams is a general confusion about why solutions aren’t better and results aren't faster despite the fact that teams are using AI. So what’s the issue?

AI can be incredibly helpful—I use it in my own work often—but one of the biggest mistakes I see is when it’s introduced too early in the process (before the problem has been clearly defined, before the real human need is understood, and before enough independent thinking has taken place).

When this happens, it usually creates the illusion of progress without actually moving the needle on business outcomes, or solving user needs.

Sure, it might seem like the ideas are arriving quickly and in abundance, but polished output is not the same as meaningful insight, and speed is not the same as direction.

Two Big Risks With Rushing AI into the Process

1. Garbage In, Garbage Out

Using AI prematurely can send people running quickly toward the wrong answer. When a team hasn’t spent enough time understanding the challenge in front of them, they are limited by the quality of their thinking and, as the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.”  

If the inputs are vague or underdeveloped, the outputs—no matter how shiny—will reflect that. Your team may be able to prompt AI and get a seemingly useful response, but introducing a super tool to solve a poorly-framed problem does not yield a high-quality result.  

2. Early AI Output Can Shut Down Creativity

There's another risk I’ve observed among teams that have been stuck in the weeds: Early AI output can shut down creativity. (This is alarming!) 

When something well-written or high-ish fidelity appears on the screen, people may assume the hard thinking is done. They may stop exploring alternatives, skip the discomfort of ambiguity, or settle too quickly on ideas that feel complete but have not been deeply considered. The messy, necessary part of thinking gets skipped. (Again, this is alarming!)

This is why human-centered working sessions still matter deeply in the age of AI. Design Sprints, strategic workshops, and collaborative problem-solving experiences are not only valuable, but critical because they ensure people are doing the foundational work together. They create space to challenge assumptions, surface tensions, understand unmet needs, and generate early ideas rooted in lived experience rather than algorithmic prediction.

This kind of work does more than produce better conversations. It creates shared understanding, alignment, and stronger judgment. Once that foundation exists, AI becomes far more valuable.

When AI Accelerates the Right Things

Once there’s a clear understanding of the problem, AI can help organize complexity, pressure-test ideas, synthesize information, and reduce the manual lift that slows teams down.

I’ve used V0 to help develop and visualize new business ideas for a client, turning early concepts into something tangible they could share with stakeholders. But it wasn’t a substitute for setting the strategic foundation.

You still need to navigate the phase of defining a problem, where ideas are half-formed and you can sit in uncertainty just long enough to understand what’s really going on.

Teams that take the time to navigate the messy middle before rushing to solutions are more aligned, more strategically oriented, and more likely to get value from AI.

Used too early, it can bypass the very work that makes the output meaningful. Used at the right moment, it becomes powerful in the ways that matter.

I spend a lot of time helping teams slow down at the right times so they can move faster where it counts. 

If you want help with strategic alignment, here are some of my favorite mini-workshops you can run on your own to create clarity before jumping to AI tools. 

And if your team is perpetually hustling but not getting the outcomes you expected, it may be worth rethinking where AI fits in your process. This is the kind of work I love doing. Send me a note if you want to have a conversation about it.