Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy is urging a more measured approach to artificial intelligence, warning against the extreme views that dominate public discourse. He says people often fall into one of two camps: those who see AI as a near-term path to unlimited prosperity, or those who fear it will lead to global catastrophe. While he acknowledges these reactions are natural, Ramaswamy believes neither scenario is likely. “The biggest misconception is thinking about AI as an all-or-nothing proposition,” he told Business Insider. Instead, he argues the real value of AI will emerge in specific, practical applications—over time, through incremental progress. Ramaswamy advises companies to adopt AI in a step-by-step manner, focusing on small, high-impact use cases rather than attempting sweeping overhauls. He’s moved away from traditional, multi-year roadmaps, which he now sees as too rigid in the face of rapid technological change. “I want to know the direction we’re headed, but I need us to be in a constant mode of iteration,” he said. For Snowflake, this means integrating AI into core business functions like software development, deployment, sales, and customer onboarding. The company’s goal is to build and deliver software more efficiently than competitors, not to rework every process at once. Ramaswamy encourages employees to use AI tools daily, but emphasizes the need for clear frameworks to determine where AI can have the most significant impact. “I worry a lot about making sure we’re state-of-the-art, especially in the critical areas where AI can be existential,” he said. He believes the key is not to treat AI as a magic bullet, but as a transformative shift in how work gets done—one that requires thoughtful, focused adaptation. The most successful organizations, he says, will be those that identify the right areas to act, experiment quickly, and learn from real-world results.