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Opinion field notes.
All Joust field notes tagged Opinion.
A Better Mental Model for Understanding AI
AI systems are predictive systems, not intelligent ones. That single shift in framing explains why they use tools, why they hallucinate, and where human judgment still matters.
Ron Davis
Jun 26, 2026
One resignation away
The thing that makes your company hard to copy usually lives undocumented in a few people's heads. It is your most valuable asset and your largest single point of failure, and most companies only price it the week someone gives notice.
Ron Davis
Jun 24, 2026
Running off the inbox, not a plan
Most teams do not run on a plan. They run on whoever's inbox is loudest. It is the most expensive operating habit we see, and it stays invisible because the cost is spread across everyone's day.
Ron Davis
Jun 17, 2026
Why Most AI Pilots Fail
Three patterns I keep seeing after 20+ consults, and what to do instead. The model is fine. The pilots die for reasons that have almost nothing to do with AI.
Ron Davis
Jun 3, 2026
Tools, not gods.
We've seen this hype cycle before. The grounded version of AI is real, useful, and worth defending from the loudest pitch. A practitioner's read on what works, what it costs, and what to actually watch.
Ron Davis
May 11, 2026
Why most AI consulting decks never reach production
After thirty years inside the systems that run enterprise companies, the pattern was hard to miss. Smart teams pay for strategy. Then nothing changes.
Ron Davis
Apr 12, 2026
Honesty as a deliverable
The most valuable thing we hand a client isn't a roadmap. It's the answer they were already half-suspecting but no one had said out loud.
Ron Davis
Feb 20, 2026