Episode 199: The True Cost of AI: Beyond the Hype and Into Reality with Jessica Hall

Just Eat Takeaway’s Jessica Hall joins Melissa Perri in this episode of the Product Thinking podcast. Chief Product Officer at the food delivery giant, Jessica links up with Melissa to discuss the intricacies of managing a diverse product portfolio across global markets, sharing insights from her journey in navigating the challenges of integrating multiple brands, post-merger and establishing a unified customer experience. She elaborates on the importance of understanding local markets while leveraging a centralized platform to enhance speed and efficiency in product development.

Jessica also reveals how her team prioritizes customer closeness through innovative programs, allowing product managers to gain firsthand experience of the customer journey.

She’s not all positive about AI adoption though and is honest about both the potential and the pitfalls, including the often-overlooked costs and the importance of building a sustainable ecosystem around new technologies. She’s also clear on the need to develop diverse teams in order to be able to combat bias in AI solutions and highlights the significance of user transparency in building trust. 

Tune in to discover how strategic thinking and a customer-first approach can lead to innovative, responsible AI implementations that truly resonate with users.

Jessica passionately advocates for the principle of "customer closeness," highlighting how integral it is for product managers to engage directly with customers. She has initiated a program called "Just Eat Takeaway Meets," which allows team members to immerse themselves in various roles within the company – whether that be delivering food, working in customer service, or experiencing the restaurant environment firsthand. This practice fosters a deeper understanding of the customer's journey and the challenges they face, which can be invaluable for product development.

Jessica and Melissa get deep into the costs of AI, both the well-known and hidden costs that can appear unwanted during implementation. While many view AI and large language models (LLMs) as cost-cutting tools, the reality can be quite different. She discusses how organizations often overlook the full spectrum of costs associated with implementing AI technologies, such as self-hosting on platforms like AWS, which can be quite expensive. There's also the ongoing expense of maintaining skilled teams who can effectively manage and evolve these technologies to contend with. Jessica points out that businesses need to assess not just the upfront costs but also the long-term financial implications tied to customer acquisition and conversion metrics. This broader understanding helps organizations avoid the pitfalls of adopting AI for the sake of it without a clear strategy, ensuring they approach such implementations with a realistic mindset.

Jessica advocates for the importance of diversity in teams working on AI initiatives. She believes that having a variety of perspectives leads to more innovative solutions and a greater understanding of the diverse user base that these technologies serve. She stresses that it's not enough to have a team that simply identifies as diverse; team members must actively engage with different viewpoints and experiences. Jessica encourages her team to seek out customer insights from varied backgrounds, promoting empathy and a deeper understanding of user needs. This inclusivity not only sparks creativity but also drives better product outcomes, ensuring that the solutions developed resonate with a broader audience and address underrepresented issues.

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Previous guests include: Shruti Patel of US Bank, Steve Wilson of Contrast Security, Bethany Lyons of KAWA Analytics, Tanya Johnson Chief Product Officer at Auror, Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School, Stephanie Leue of Doodle, Jason Fried of 37signals, Hubert Palan of Productboard, Blake Samic of Stripe and Uber, Quincy Hunte of Amazon Web Services

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