May 23, 2025

AI in the Real World: Dismantling AI Productivity Myths and Embracing Ethical Use | Yvette Schmitter

In this episode of An Hour of Innovation, AI ethicist and Fusion Collective CEO Yvette Schmitter joins Vit Lyoshin for a candid conversation about the reality behind today’s AI buzz. Together, they explore the true ROI of AI productivity tools and why many organizations fall into the “productivity hype” trap without clear value or measurable outcomes.

Yvette challenges listeners to ask the hard questions: Does this tool shorten your sales cycle? Save costs? Generate revenue? If not, it may be just noise. She explains how poor-quality AI-generated code can lead to massive technical debt and why refining existing code, with human judgment, is far more effective than blindly generating it.

The conversation dives deep into AI ethics, using real-world examples like Air Canada and Cursor AI to show how bad implementation and lack of oversight can damage brands and erode trust. Yvette warns against deploying autonomous AI agents without accountability and stresses the importance of baking ethics into AI from the very beginning, not as an afterthought.

You’ll also hear about successful AI use cases, such as optimizing interpreter scheduling to save millions, and how businesses can start small, focus on clear problems, and invest in foundational work before scaling AI.

Key takeaways:

* Most AI tools overpromise and underdeliver without proper planning or ROI tracking.
* Ethics in AI isn’t optional. Ignoring it leads to serious business and legal risks.
* Leaders must avoid FOMO and focus on solving specific, real problems.
* Start small, invest in training, and fix your data/infrastructure before scaling.
* AI should help you make money, save money, or disrupt the market - nothing less.

Show Notes

Yvette Schmitter is a trailblazing innovator and internationally recognized AI ethicist, dedicated to making technology more inclusive, ethical, and impactful. As Co-Founder and CEO of Fusion Collective and a former leader at PwC and AWS, she has spent her career ensuring that innovation serves everyone. A sought-after global speaker featured in Forbes, The New York Times, and on national TV, Yvette is known for translating complex technologies like AI and cloud computing into transformative tools. Her work focuses on responsible innovation, breaking down barriers, and creating frameworks that ensure AI is developed and deployed equitably.

References

CursorAI: https://www.wired.com/story/cursor-ai-hallucination-policy-customer-service/
Air Canada Chatbot Case: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2024/02/19/what-air-canada-lost-in-remarkable-lying-ai-chatbot-case/
Mount Sinai Health System Research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03626-6

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Takeaways

Productivity is often a buzzword used to sell AI tools.
True productivity gains must be quantified in terms of business value.
AI coding tools can enhance individual efficiency but may create technical debt.
Many AI tools are overhyped and may not deliver real value.
Ethics should be integrated into every stage of AI development.
Companies often fail to understand the real problems they need to solve with AI.
Accountability for AI decisions is a significant concern.
All risks associated with AI deployment are substantial.
AI biases can exacerbate existing healthcare disparities.
Organizations should focus on building a strong foundational infrastructure for AI.
Successful AI implementations often start with small, focused projects.
Involving diverse perspectives is crucial in AI development.
AI can be a powerful tool for good if used judiciously.
Slow and steady approaches often yield better results in AI implementation.
Understanding the real problems is essential before deploying AI solutions.