Every company has been investing in AI to move their business forward. However, everyone knows by now that AI is not a magic trick that will automatically improve business performance. In order to get ROI and really make a difference, you need to utilize the technology in a way that’s tailored to your business needs and makes sense with your infrastructure.

Even for the most experienced or tech-savvy executives, figuring this out can be difficult. I talked to HP Chief Commercial Officer Dave McQuarrie about some of the things you need to do—and to avoid—to make your AI investment pay off in terms of dollars and business advantage. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.

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Once again, last week was full of conflicting signals. Stocks surged on talk of a cease fire in Iran late in the week—on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged past 50,000 for the first time since February. And the job market appears to be healthy, with 115,000 nonfarm jobs added in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—more than double the 65,000 jobs that were expected last month. The unemployment rate remained at 4.3%. Payroll processing firm ADP saw a strong increase in private-sector payrolls, with 109,000 jobs added in April.

But while those numbers look promising, people still aren’t feeling confident. Views on the U.S. economy dropped to another record low this month in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey—down to 48.2, from 49.2 in April. Anything under 100 is considered pessimistic. Consumers said both tariffs and gas prices make them feel down on the economy—and gas prices continue to surge, hitting a nationwide average of $4.52 a gallon today, according to AAA.

Other indicators below the surface also aren’t reflecting confidence. Last week, the U.S. debt grew to the size of the U.S. economy—a line not crossed since World War II, writes Forbes senior contributor Erik Sherman. This means higher borrowing costs and interest rates, and it should also usher in tighter financial conditions in the government. Sherman also writes while jobs data looked promising, wide-ranging revisions in the last few months have shown the number of new jobs may be way off. After all, another federal government measure showing the total number of unemployed people as well as those marginally attached to the labor force has been steadily increasing to 8.2%—up 0.9% in just a year.

AI is still a top........

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