(Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

Since everyone is talking about Cyber Monday deals, I'll share how to put your AI spend in discount mode.

Five easy steps:

1/ Get the leadership team up to speed on AI. Execs who understand what AI can(not) do are in a much better position to decide how the company will use it.

2/ Make a plan. Not only will this add structure to your efforts, it will also tell you when things are going awry.

3/ Get your house in order. All that fancy AI relies on clean, correct data supplied by a solid infrastructure.

4/ Involve your legal and PR teams early. Lawsuits due to allegedly purloined training data can be costly. The same goes for a wave of bad press due to malfunctioning AI bots.

5/ Work with a professional. Someone who has end-to-end experience with AI can dramatically reduce your risk and improve your chances of success.

The best part: You don't have to wait until the holiday shopping season! These tips work year-round.