Picture this: a packed IT developer conference, hundreds of seasoned programmers in the room, and my colleague Tim Mecklem — recognized as one of America’s top artificial intelligence (AI) developers — at the podium delivering the keynote. When Tim asked the audience how many were using AI tools in their development efforts, barely half raised their hands. Of those with hands raised, he asked how many were using the latest and best AI tools; it was only a small fraction.
That gap should terrify you.
First, in this group of top programmers, the vast majority are being greatly outpaced by a small fraction of their community, for whom projects that took eight weeks 18 months ago are now being completed in eight hours.
Secondly, you might not take interest in AI, but AI is already taking interest in your business. You can’t run, hide or delay. If you want to thrive in the next few years, you have only one option: innovate like you’ve never innovated before, using AI.
The Urgency Is Real
In the last year alone, I’ve seen:
- Farmers making decisions in seconds that used to take weeks, with far better data.
- Homeowners getting services at a fraction of expected costs, thanks to AI-driven efficiency.
- Development projects that took months, now taking days.
This isn’t incremental change. It’s cataclysmic. For you or your competition.
3 Things You Must Do Now
- Learn ferociously. Read, talk and research AI like you never have before.
- Form an AI circle. Build a group of advisers who can guide and challenge you.
- Launch your innovation process. Identify how to grow your company and outperform competitors. Use those innovation outputs as the blueprint for your AI implementation plan.
A Structured Path Forward
Here’s the model I’m using with clients to leapfrog their competition and, in some cases, seize the No. 1 spot in their industry:
- Prioritize your biggest constraints. What’s bottlenecking your growth?
- Spot your biggest opportunities. Where can AI multiply your strengths?
- Audit your costliest processes. Which work flows drain the most resources?
- Identify replaceable tasks. Which people and processes could be enhanced or replaced by automation and augmentation?
Then we brainstorm the ideal deliverables; what outcome would create the most value for your customers and your business right now? We describe exactly what that ideal deliverable would contain. Finally, we prompt the best AI tools available to generate a developer’s brief and tech stack needed to build it. Only then do we begin qualifying the right developers for the project.
The Hard Truth About Failure
A recent MIT study found that 95% of internal AI pilot programs fail to deliver meaningful revenue or productivity gains. Why? Because they rely on inward-only thinking and have no awareness of the bevy of AI development tools that are being launched into the market every day.
Successful companies blend internal insight with external facilitation and specialized vendors. These efforts succeed many times more often than in-house experiments.
And here’s another pitfall: Most AI spending is flowing into sales and marketing flash, when the biggest gains come from presenting customers with value added tools to help improve their business and streamlining back-office operations and eliminating hidden inefficiencies.
Bottom Line
AI represents both the greatest growth opportunity of your career and the greatest existential threat to your business. Wait, and your competitors will outpace you. Charge ahead without networking in a greater community, and you’ll likely become part of the 95% who fail.
The smart move is clear: Talk to a facilitator of innovation first. Let AI help you craft a developer’s brief second. Only then should you begin searching for the right developers.
Carpe diem or watch others seize your day.
Mark Faust (513-621-8000, mark@em1990.com) works with owners, CEOs and sales managers who want to grow their businesses. You can schedule a free profit improvement session with Mark by visiting calendly.com/markfaust. Read more ideas from him here.
