What is the smallest funded bet that makes the upside visible before the cost drifts?

The investment question is not whether AI is interesting. The question is whether the first spend removes a real cost, creates a measured signal, and earns the next decision.

• Manual weekly reporting consumes leadership time and delays action.
• Catalogue attribution is a higher-value loop than generic automation.
• The first stage needs a kill switch before scope expands.

Stage 1 pays for confidence. It should make the Monday number arrive on Monday, prove saleId attribution can join cleanly, and show which future use cases deserve capital.

The win is a better capital rhythm: fund proof, measure relief, stop weak paths early.

Keep the first commitment bounded. Use the 90-day plan, named go conditions, and Week 8 kill switch as the guardrail for the financial case.