It’s impossible to escape the noise around Artificial Intelligence. It’s positioned as the answer to everything from operational efficiency to market disruption. We see the familiar playbook being rolled out by the large consultancies, presenting AI as a universal solution that can be bought and plugged in, instantly transforming any business into a futuristic leader.
But the real risk for most organisations isn’t being left behind by the technology. It’s being led astray by the hype.
The rush to adopt AI without first establishing a rigorous case for it is creating a wave of expensive vanity projects. Businesses are becoming so fixated on acquiring the new, shiny tool that they forget to ask the most fundamental question: why?
The Difference Between Capability and Outcome
AI can be incredible, but it is not a strategy. It is a powerful enabler, an engine capable of processing, predicting, and automating at a scale we’ve never seen before. But an engine without a chassis, wheels, and a destination is just an expensive paperweight.
The current narrative puts the technology first. It encourages leaders to ask, “What can we do with AI?” This inevitably leads to solutions looking for problems, shoehorning technology into processes where it may not be the most effective answer. There might be simpler, more impactful changes being ignored in the race to deploy an algorithm.
The more powerful, more disciplined question is the one we see missing from most of these conversations: “What is the business outcome we need to deliver?”
Only when that is answered with absolute clarity can you begin to explore if, and how, AI might help you get there.
From Vanity Project to Value Realisation
A genuine AI strategy isn’t a technology roadmap. It’s a business plan with three unwavering points of focus:
- What is the specific business case? Does it reduce operational friction? Does it unlock new revenue? Does it materially improve the customer experience? If the case can’t be articulated in simple, commercial terms, it isn’t a case at all.
- Can we realise the value? Success isn’t about implementation; it’s about adoption and embedding the change into the organisation. Without considering the behavioural shifts required from your people, even the most brilliant AI will fail to deliver.
- What is the opportunity cost? Every pound and every hour spent on a poorly defined AI project is a resource diverted from other critical priorities. Is AI truly the most valuable problem to solve right now, or is it a distraction from more fundamental operational improvements?
The challenge is not to look intelligent by talking about AI. The challenge is to be intelligent in how you deploy it. It requires discipline, clarity, and a relentless focus on the outcomes that matter.
So, before the board focuses on an ‘AI strategy’, perhaps it’s worth asking a simpler question first.
What is the single most important outcome we need to deliver?
The answer to that will determine whether AI becomes a revolutionary tool for your business, or just a very sophisticated and expensive distraction.
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