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Centralize AI Control or Let Teams Experiment? Binary Business - BB-05

When AI enters your organization, you've got to decide who controls it. Do you centralize it under one team with clear governance and standards? Or do you let individual teams experiment, learn, and build what they need?

In this episode, I break down when to centralize AI versus when to let teams experiment, using the ABCD framework.

One approach creates consistency. The other creates innovation. Most companies either centralize too early and kill innovation, or stay decentralized too long and create chaos.

What You'll Learn:

• When to centralize AI control vs. when to let teams experiment
• Why centralizing too early turns the AI team into a bottleneck
• How to avoid permanent fragmentation from unlimited experimentation
• The right sequence: experiment → consolidate → centralize governance → redistribute execution
• Why teams work around central AI teams (and how to prevent it)
• How to balance speed and consistency without choosing one over the other

Key Timestamps: 0:35 - Context: The Governance vs Innovation Tension 2:40 - The Binary: Centralize vs Experiment 6:10 - ABCD Framework Breakdown 6:15 - A: Audience (Who Gains Control vs Who Loses Autonomy) 7:45 - B: Build (Infrastructure for Each Approach) 9:15 - C: Convert (ROI of Centralized vs Decentralized) 11:15 - D: Deliver (Consistency vs Flexibility Tradeoffs) 13:15 - The Call: My Recommendation

Binary Business is a business decision podcast for operators navigating AI.

Each 10-15 minute episode breaks one AI decision into a clear binary choice using the ABCD framework: Audience, Build, Convert, Deliver.

100 Episodes. 4 Seasons. One System.

Season 1 (Jan-Mar): Who AI decisions are for
Season 2 (Apr-Jun): How systems break when AI scales
Season 3 (Jul-Sep): Where AI moves money
Season 4 (Oct-Dec): How to execute AI decisions

New episodes drop every Tuesday & Thursday.

This isn't a podcast about AI hype. It's a framework for making high-stakes decisions in a world where AI is changing the rules.

Subscribe to follow the full arc. By Episode 100, you'll have a portable decision system that works for any business challenge.

🎯 Free Resource: Binary Decision Scorecard
https://go.binarybusiness.tech/gzkqjw9n-yt-pod-bb-01

💼 Work with Will:
https://app.usemotion.com/meet/willguidry/EntreNova-Will?d=30

🔗 LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/in/williamguidry

Binary Business. All signal. No noise.