I just sat through Noelle Russell’s session at the Applied AI for Distributors Conference, and let me tell you, this wasn’t your typical “let’s automate some busywork” keynote. Noelle didn’t come to entertain; she came to wake people up.
And if you’re in distribution, leading teams, making tech bets, or touching customer experience in any way, her message should rattle your cage.
Here’s the hard truth: AI isn’t neutral. It’s power, and power demands responsibility.
Lesson 1: Don’t Build for People, Build with Them
Noelle hammered this point. If you’re designing AI systems for your employees or customers without involving them, you’re already off track. Whether it’s a chatbot, a forecasting tool, or a voice assistant, your tech should solve real problems in real workflows. Otherwise, it’s just shelfware with a glossy pitch deck.
Her co-creation rule is simple: No more building in a vacuum.
Lesson 2: A Baby Tiger Might Look Cute, Until It Bites
Every AI model starts out as what she calls a “baby tiger.” It’s fast, exciting, and full of potential. But here’s the rub: if you don’t start with clear governance, oversight, and guardrails, that tiger grows teeth. She’s seen it firsthand, building Alexa at Amazon and collaborating with giants like OpenAI and Microsoft.
Noelle’s advice: treat every new AI project like it could turn into an uncontrolled wildfire, because it can.
If you’re not red teaming your models, if you don’t have a written AI policy, if your leadership team can’t explain your AI strategy, then your tiger is loose in the warehouse.
Lesson 3: Good Thought Beats Fast Tech
One of the most powerful lines of the day was this: “The rarest skill in AI today isn’t coding. It’s good thought.”
Let that sink in.
We don’t need more people racing to bolt ChatGPT onto everything. We need leaders asking tough questions: What’s the actual problem we’re solving? Who’s going to manage this six months from now? How does this decision affect trust, transparency, or risk?
That’s what separates organizations using AI as a lever from those chasing it like a lottery ticket.
Lesson 4: AI Needs Maintenance, Not Just a Launch Plan
She made it clear: AI isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. It’s not software you deploy and walk away from. It’s a living system.
Leave it unmanaged, and it will degrade, drift, or behave in ways no one expected.
If that sounds like your current AI pilot, congratulations, you’ve got a baby tiger growing up without a handler.
Lesson 5: With Great Power Comes… You Know the Rest
Every distribution company has some version of this debate going on right now,
“Do we wait until next year’s budget cycle to talk AI? Do we need a task force first? Are we ready?”
Here’s Noelle’s challenge: If you don’t have an AI strategy, congrats, that’s your strategy.
AI is here. It’s in your customer service. It’s in your supply chain. It’s showing up in your competitors’ workflows whether you like it or not. The question is whether you’ll shape it, or let it shape you.
The Bottom Line
This wasn’t a hype session. It was a call to action.
Noelle reminded us that we don’t just need more AI, we need better leadership, better questions, and better systems.
So, here’s my challenge to the distribution leaders reading this:
- Do you have a written AI policy?
- Are your front-line teams involved in your AI decisions?
- Are you training leaders on AI, not just your tech team?
- Have you red-teamed your AI tools yet?
If the answer is no to most of this, start there.
Don’t wait for perfection. Start small. Start smart. But for the love of your business, start now.
With over 25 years of leadership in supply chain, logistics and global distribution strategy, Will Quinn is a recognized authority in warehousing and distribution operations. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he spent 12 years mastering discipline, adaptability and leadership — qualities that have fueled his success in managing high-impact distribution networks for companies like Grainger, Coca-Cola, MSC Industrial Supply, WEG Electric and Cintas. As a former global distribution strategist at Infor, he spent four years helping businesses bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world distribution challenges. Will holds a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from Elmhurst University.