Why businesses judge AI like humans — and what that means for adoption

As businesses rush to adopt AI, they’re discovering an unexpected truth: Even the most rational enterprise buyers aren’t making purely rational decisions — their subconscious requirements go far beyond the conventional software evaluation standards.

Let me share an anecdote: It’s November 2024; I’m sitting in a New York City skyscraper, working with a fashion brand on their first AI assistant. The avatar, Nora, is a 25-year-old digital assistant displayed on a six-foot-tall kiosk. She has sleek brown hair, a chic black suit and a charming smile. She waves “hi” when recognizing a client’s face, nods as they speak and answers questions about company history and tech news. I came prepared with a standard technical checklist: response accuracy, conversation latency, face recognition precision…

But my client didn’t even glance at the checklist. Instead, they asked, “Why doesn’t she have her own personality? I asked her ...