AI is commoditising efficiency.
For years, many large companies have competed on:
- Cost
- Resourcing
- Operational efficiency
But, AI is rapidly changing and levelling the playing field. When everyone can operate at near-optimal efficiency, that efficiency stops being a differentiator.
So I ask myself, what happens next?
I think two major transformations are coming:
1. Differentiation moves beyond efficiency. More emphasis is placed on relationships, trust, reliability, and true value.
2. Purpose becomes strategic. When capability is so easy to achieve, why you exist becomes a real competitive edge and an essential ingredient in your brand.
Right now, most boards are still focused on: “How do we use AI?”
But the more important question board should be asking is: “What does our organisation need to become in an AI-enabled world?”
I don’t see this as a sublet shift. I see it as a fundamental reset of how organisations compete and survive.
The earlier boards start asking and addressing these challenges, the better positioned they’ll be for what comes next.
So, the real question is whether boards are even aware this shift is already underway?v
