In our operations team at Epitec—which includes Finance, HR, and IT—I’ve been exploring meaningful use cases for AI. That’s been the challenge: identifying where it can truly help. I’ve done some prototyping and experimenting, but what I really wanted was to build something useful for the team—something that solves a real problem, not just a cool demo.

So I tried something simple: I started asking my teammates if I could join them for lunch.

No formal agenda. Just casual conversation. During those lunches, I’d ask a question like, “What’s the most tedious part of your day?” or “What’s one process you wish was easier?” From there, the conversation just flows. One answer leads to another question, and before you know it, I start to really understand the problem.

I think the personal, informal setting makes a difference. People feel more relaxed and open. It’s not a meeting with action items—it’s a real conversation. And from those talks, I’ve gained better insights than I would have from a traditional meeting.

It reminds me of my time with GANG—the Great Lakes Area .NET User Group—where I was a member and later became president. The sessions were great, but I learned even more after the talks—over pizza and drinks with the speakers. That’s where the real learning happened. Just talking. No slides. No formality.

Sometimes the best way to understand a complex problem isn’t in a meeting—it’s in a conversation.

And if you’re looking for where AI fits in your organization, maybe start there too.