What it means
An AI use case is a specific, defined situation in which AI is applied to a task or problem, describing who uses it, for what purpose, with which data and what outcome is expected. A good use case is concrete enough to test and measure.
Real-world example
"Use AI in customer service" is not a use case. "Help the 12 staff in the city's registration office answer standard email enquiries about address registration by drafting replies from current guidance, reducing response time from five days to two, with every reply reviewed before sending" is one.
Why it matters for AI adoption
Clear use cases make it possible to assess value, feasibility, risk and data needs before investing. Many AI initiatives fail because they start from a technology rather than a real problem, or because use cases are too vague to measure success.
Questions to ask
- What specific problem does this solve, for whom, and how do we know it is a problem today?
- What would success look like, and how would we measure it?