Trying to avoid AI in a book on AI may seem paradoxical. However, AI tools can be compared to having a real toolkit in real life. If you are at home and you just need to change a light bulb, you do not have to get your brand new toolkit to show off to everybody around you. You just change the light bulb and that's it.
In AI, as in real life, use the right tools at the right time. If AI is not necessary to solve a problem, do not use it.
Use a proof of concept (POC) approach to prove your point for an AI project. A POC should cost much less than the project itself and helps to build a team that believes in the outcome. The first step is exploring the data volume and the method that will be used.