AI Agent & Copilot Podcast: Overcoming the Vanity AI Metrics Trap
Continuing his series “AI Starts with Leadership Success,” UG Expert and Microsoft MVP, Shawn Dorward, explains why focusing on usage metrics in AI doesn’t always equate to value.
Key Takeaways
- Overview: If Copilot usage is rising but decision quality and workflow efficiency aren’t improving, leaders shouldn’t assume their AI rollout is succeeding, as usage metrics can create a false sense of progress. Shawn explains why usage feels reassuring yet reveals nothing about impact, and why measuring real transformation, not dashboard activity, is what actually matters.
- Activity doesn’t equal value: Leaders must shift from celebrating usage to defining and measuring real outcomes, because high AI activity doesn’t equate to better decisions, faster cycles, or reduced rework. True success comes from asking sharper questions, listening for quiet improvements, and leading in a way that prioritizes value over dashboards.
- Explore leadership topics: If leaders only measure what’s easy, teams will optimize for what’s visible—making usage the goal instead of real impact. True AI adoption requires leaders to focus on meaningful outcomes, and Shawn invites them to explore these deeper leadership topics at the upcoming AI Agent & Copilot Summit, running March 17-19 in San Diego, CA.
- Measuring true success: True AI success requires leaders to define outcomes thoughtfully, exercise judgment, and look beyond dashboards to understand whether the technology actually matters.
AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA is an AI-first event to define the opportunities, impact, and outcomes possible with Microsoft Copilot for mid-market & enterprise companies. Register now to attend AI Agent & Copilot Summit in San Diego, CA from March 17-19, 2026.
