---
id: "action-incremental-ai-rollout"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ Set the direction and pace of AI adoption."]
tags: ["implementation", "risk-mitigation"]
related: ["concept-minimum-viable-ai", "framework-entrepreneurial-ai-adoption"]
action: "Implement incremental, low-risk AI use cases to validate potential and build momentum before scaling."
outcome: "Organizational confidence and validated learning without the high costs and risks of full-scale rollouts."
speakers: ["Jeffrey P. Shay", "Donna Kelley", "Mahdi Majbouri", "Thomas H. Davenport"]
sources: ["spine"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-spine"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-ext-20-entrepreneurs-scale-with-ai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/08/how-ambitious-entrepreneurs-can-use-ai-to-scale-their-startups"
sourceTitle: "How Ambitious Entrepreneurs Can Use AI to Scale Their Startups"
---
# Develop Minimum Viable AI Use Cases

**Action.** Instead of attempting full-scale AI transformations, identify and implement lightweight, incremental AI tools (e.g., automating a specific repetitive task) to validate the technology's potential, build internal momentum, and learn without major process overhauls. This operationalizes [[concept-minimum-viable-ai]] — step 1 of the [[framework-entrepreneurial-ai-adoption]].

**Expected outcome.** Organizational confidence and validated learning **without** the high costs and risks of full-scale rollouts.