Are Business Leaders Really Ready to Face the AI ​​Revolution?

In a constantly evolving world, artificial intelligence is emerging as an essential revolution for businesses. Faced with this major transformation, it is legitimate to ask whether business leaders are really ready to face this change.

The AI ​​Revolution: An Inevitable Transformation

At the end of the last century, the arrival of the internet disrupted many businesses which, due to lack of adaptation, disappeared from the economic landscape. Today, a new revolution is on the horizon: that of artificial intelligence (AI). This transformation promises to be even more radical than that of the internet, both for businesses and for society as a whole. However, in my work advising various companies, it is clear that many of them are not ready to face these major changes.

Underprepared Leadership

The main problem I encounter is that leaders are often poorly prepared for this revolution already underway. The rapid emergence of tools for Generative AI, especially large language models, is often perceived as overwhelming. Many businesses are adapting by superficially integrating chatbots into their existing systems. But this “do-it-yourself” approach is far from fully exploiting the potential offered by this technology.

See AI as a Simple Tool

One of the main mistakes made by leaders is to considerAI as a simple tool to improve existing processes, rather than completely rethinking their approach. For example, in the early years of the internet, businesses discovered new ways to connect with their customers, revolutionizing marketing and business models. Today, theAI should not only be used to optimize a few processes but to completely transform business models.

The Opposition of the Technological Giants

Even tech giants like Google and Amazon are caught off guard. Although they have developed chatbots and integrated theAI in various services, they have not yet succeeded in capturing the full transformative potential ofAI. For example, language models like ChatGPT and Claude could revolutionize online search by providing direct answers rather than lists of results.

Positive But Insufficient Experiences

There are positive examples where companies are starting to incorporateAI in a more integrated way. For example, the Boston Consulting Group has made generative tools available to all its consultants, allowing them to resolve problems previously resolved in two weeks in two days. However, these are still only the beginnings and too often applications ofAI remain limited to marginal improvements.

The New Titans of AI

In the next five years, we will see new companies emerge that will become the titans of the era ofAI. These companies will be native AI and overcome problems that elude even technologically advanced companies today. These new businesses will be able to create jobs thanks to theAI, and their employees will see their roles augmented and not replaced by this technology.

A Proactive Approach for Today’s Leaders

Today’s leaders must address skills gaps and invest in lifelong learning to prepare a workforce fit for purpose.AI. They must also develop ethical, transparent and responsible safeguards to preventAI poses more problems than it solves.

Ultimately, every business is becoming an AI business, and the organizations that survive and thrive will be those led by individuals who understand this reality and are not afraid to think big and take bold actions to embrace it.