OfflabelAI Executive Leadership
← All curriculum
Module 1 · Direction: find the decisionWed, Aug 1260 min

Capability, constraint, and signal

Use the history of AI to separate durable capability from short-lived excitement. Examine work at the task level and identify where judgment may change.

Faculty: Prof. Stephanie Dick

Learning objectives

  • ▸Describe the major waves of AI and why today is different
  • ▸Explain the human and AI division of labor concept
  • ▸Separate durable capability from hype
  • ▸Apply historical lessons to adoption decisions

Key concepts

AI winters & wavesHype cycle awarenessHuman and AI division of laborCapability vs expectation gap

Memorize this

🧠 AI winters🧠 Division of labor🧠 Capability vs hype

Your study flow

  1. 1. Read

    Read the session guide above. Note the ideas that change how you see your organization's current AI question.

  2. 2. Test

    Take the module quiz in Learn & Memorize to check understanding.

  3. 3. Drill

    Run the spaced-repetition flashcards to lock in the terms from this module.

📝 Test this session

Question 1 of 4Capability and work design

What is an 'AI winter'?

Flashcards for this module

  • AGENT
    A methodology for planning and phasing AI initiatives: Audit (readiness), Gauge (challenges), Engineer (solutions), Navigate (governance & people), Track (measurement).
  • The AI mandate
    The formal or informal authority a senior leader holds to set AI strategy: earned by showing up with a defensible vision and a Playbook.
  • AI readiness assessment
    A scored evaluation of organizational capability across dimensions like data, talent, leadership sponsorship, operations, and culture: before committing to use cases.
  • AI winters
    Periods in AI history when hype outpaced capability and funding collapsed (1974 to 80, 1987 to 93). Lesson: separate durable capability from hype.
  • Human and AI division of labor
    The idea that AI reshapes tasks, not whole jobs: leaders should analyze work at the task level to see where humans and AI each add value.
  • Opportunity map
    A structured view of candidate AI use cases across the organization, scored on value and feasibility to identify quick wins vs strategic bets.
Study all flashcards →
Build for Module 1: AI Readiness Assessment + AI Vision Statement
Test myself