Q&A: Make's VP at Darin Patterson on AI Strategy
Make's Darin Patterson discusses how process visibility, human-first strategy, and conversational AI help businesses move past isolated AI experimentation

TL;DR
- Isolated AI experimentation is common, but visibility is crucial for scaling AI adoption.
- Conversational AI translates natural language into automations, lowering technical barriers and broadening participation.
- A human-first approach means investing in people and making AI understandable to reduce hesitation.
- Transparency about AI's purpose and its impact on roles builds employee confidence and control.
- Maia supports both beginners and experienced users by simplifying automation creation and optimization.
- Reliable, auditable, and scalable enterprise automations require accessibility combined with structure, visibility, and governance.
- Employee hesitation to adopt AI tools often stems from feeling overwhelmed, not from an unwillingness to learn.
- Real-time visual logic builds trust by creating a continuous learning loop through experimentation and visible outcomes.
- Over the next year, businesses will likely use AI more selectively within processes to manage costs and avoid unnecessary complexity.