Hey folks, Christian Rolland here. Let's dive into a topic that's been keeping me up at night lately: the seismic shift AI is causing across industries and how we, as enterprise technology leaders, need to adapt to stay ahead of the curve.
The Accelerating Pace of Change
Look, our industries have been through the wringer in the last decade. But here's the kicker - the changes we're about to experience due to AI? They're going to make the past look like a walk in the park. We're talking about a pace of change that's not just fast; it's lightning speed.
Think about this: companies used to stick around for 40 years on average. Now? We're looking at 12 years or less. That's the kind of volatility we're dealing with, and it's all rooted in technology and the massive transformations happening in the macro landscape.
The Collision of Deflationary Tech and Inflationary Economies
Here's where things get really interesting. We've got two massive forces colliding:
- Technology as a Deflationary Force: AI and other tech advancements are allowing us to do more with less. We're optimizing processes, reducing production costs, and streamlining workflows like never before. Moore's Law is still in full effect, folks - bigger, better, faster, cheaper is the name of the game.
- Inflationary Economic Systems: On the flip side, our economies are built on the premise of growth. We value companies based on their ability to expand, capture new markets, and increase market share. It's all about that upward trajectory.
When these forces meet, industries get disrupted. We've seen it happen in music, video, transportation, housing - you name it. And here's the truth bomb: when technology enters an industry, it doesn't lose. It might take longer in some cases, but the outcome is inevitable.
The Unsustainable Path and the AI Solution
So, where does this leave us? On an unsustainable path, quite frankly. If we keep trying to deliver products or services with the same technology and cost structures, we're going to hit a wall. Whether you're in healthcare, retail, manufacturing, or financial services, the pressure to do more with less is universal.
That's why we need to lean into AI - and I mean really lean in. It's not just about implementing AI solutions in our products or services. It's about transforming our entire operational approach with AI. We need to aim for our systems and people to produce 2-3x the output using AI tools. It's about survival, sure, but it's also about creating a new kind of value proposition that sets us apart in our respective markets.
The Future of Stakeholder Relationships
Now, don't get me wrong. We're still in people-centric industries at our core. Relationships, integrity, authenticity - that's our bread and butter. But here's the twist: our relationships aren't just going to be human-to-human anymore. We're going to have AI personas, bots, and interfaces that our customers, partners, and even employees will interact with.
Some folks will love this, preferring to text a bot rather than talk to a human. Others will hate it and want human interaction ASAP. Our job? To cater to both sides and create a seamless experience that sets us apart, regardless of our industry or business model.
The First Mover Advantage
Right now, we've got a rare opportunity - a first mover advantage. By building AI into our core processes, from product development to customer service to supply chain management, we can create a high-fidelity data ecosystem that'll be our secret weapon moving forward.
Imagine AI agents optimizing our operations, predicting market trends, or personalizing customer experiences at scale. That's the kind of value-add that'll keep us ahead of the pack, whether we're in healthcare, media, retail, or any other industry typically slow to adopt new tech.
The Internal AI Transformation
Here's the real game-changer: by using AI internally, we're not just improving our operations. We're building a knowledge base and experience that we can leverage across our entire business ecosystem. Our teams will be able to articulate the value of AI not because they learned it in a training session, but because they live it every day.
We'll be able to show stakeholders real-world examples of how AI has transformed our business. Whether it's streamlining our supply chain, enhancing our cybersecurity, revolutionizing our product development cycle, or improving patient outcomes - we'll have concrete use cases that demonstrate the power of AI in action.
The Long View on Technology Investments
When we're looking at technology investments, we need to shift our perspective. ROI and total cost analysis? We're not just talking about next quarter or even next year. We need to be looking at least five years down the road, maybe even longer.
Why? Because this volatility we're experiencing isn't a blip—it's the new normal. Taking the long view helps us balance out some of this turbulence and make decisions that will serve us well beyond the immediate future.
My mantra these days? Due diligence, due diligence, and more due diligence. It's not sexy, but it's what's going to keep us ahead of the game.
The Road Ahead
Look, this transformation isn't going to happen overnight. We don't have to do it all at once. But we do need to start, and we need to have a clear vision of where we're heading.
The macro impact of AI on enterprise technology is massive, but it's also an incredible opportunity. By embracing this change, by leaning into AI both for ourselves and our stakeholders, we can position our organizations not just to survive, but to thrive in this new landscape.
So, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. The future is AI-powered, and we're going to be the ones leading the charge in our industries. Who's with me?
