---
schema: 1
type: term
title: AI-first
description: >-
  **AI-first** means organizing an organization's strategy and culture around
  adopting AI tools as a core responsibility — led openly from the top — rather
  than treating AI as optional or something to use shamefully.
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ai-first-16d8e5bf8125'
markdown: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ai-first-16d8e5bf8125.md'
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# AI-first

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ai-first-16d8e5bf8125

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**AI-first** means organizing an organization's strategy and culture around adopting AI tools as a core responsibility — led openly from the top — rather than treating AI as optional or something to use shamefully.

**AI-first** describes an organizational stance: treating AI adoption as a core duty led from the top, not an optional experiment. In the channel's material, it shows up as Will England, CEO of Walleye Capital, openly committing his ~400-person firm to using AI tools *proudly* — starting with a memo declaring *“Using ChatGPT is not cheating.”* [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@10]This is not hype-driven. Walleye had years of experience with *advanced statistics — not even AI* — across much of the firm in pure quant trading [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@223], and launched an internal AI program **two years ago**, with its most advanced internal project called **Current** [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@400]. A March 2023 GPT-3 demo convinced England this was *“absolutely where we’re going.”* [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@434]- **Responsibility, not fashion**: a hedge fund should be ashamed to leave money on the table by ignoring tools that make it faster, smarter, and more effective. [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@23] - **Ignoring AI is like refusing the internet in 1995** because it wasn’t perfect. [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@35] - **Leadership matters**: a leader who leads from the front is what institutionalizes AI inside an organization. [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@321] - **Personal accountability**: *“if we ultimately get disrupted by AI, that’s on me.”* [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@288]- **AI-first is a leadership stance**, not a tooling choice. - It is grounded in **conviction from demos and technical background**, not marketing. - England broadcast the message deliberately to **employees, future hires, and the ecosystem**. [^01a0f15a-e0c7-780e-b2de-dc25cb298355@154]