Turning AI into action
In 2024, scrolling through your LinkedIn feed might have felt like diving into an ocean of AI success stories. You’re flooded with one amazing promise or AI success story after another. You fear that you might be getting left behind. You’re underusing AI. Everyone is ahead of you. You grasp the basic concepts, but the bigger picture - how AI fits into your specific business context - remains elusive.
One of the problems is that AI is ‘everything’ and ‘everywhere’. And it can be overwhelming.
Your takeaway for 2025
It’s important to understand that AI is not one ‘big thing’ you need to apply across your entire business. It is an opportunity to enhance many different aspects of what you do. Think of AI as a versatile toolkit.
From an abstract concept to a practical tool
Many technologies go through hype cycles. There's a moment of hype, followed by an explosion, and then comes the reality, time when the technology needs to prove itself in terms of delivering on its promises. Right now, AI is at the top of that hype cycle. Exciting stories are everywhere, and now AI needs to demonstrate its practical applications.
While the hype might fade a little in 2025, the technology behind AI will develop exponentially. It will only get better and better.
As AI matures beyond the hype, the key is to focus on its practical applications in the specific context of your business. To turn AI's potential into tangible results, ask yourself the question:
“Which product, process or service do I want to start improving — step by step, starting tomorrow?”
AI integration opportunities:
AI as sandbox for ... innovation strategy. Simulate market reactions, predict trends, test product ideas (without investing in prototypes).
AI as accelerator in ... growth strategy. Identify new market trends, predict customer behaviour, optimise operations.
AI as a catalyst for … content strategy. Generate blog post ideas, create first drafts, suggest content improvements.
AI as opportunity for ... sales strategy. Enhance lead scoring, lead prediction, personalise pitches, optimise pricing.
AI as partner in ... HR strategy. Personalise employee onboarding and training, analyse employee sentiment.
Next steps for 2025
As we look towards 2025, the next crucial step is to translate AI's potential into practical, impactful solutions that generate value, improve processes, or solve problems.
“Ok. But how can I pinpoint the best AI opportunities for my business?”
You, your colleagues, and your organisation are likely already full of AI-related ideas. Start by identifying current problems or challenges. What is going on with your employee onboarding process? Are there marketing channels that need optimisation? What’s the current quality of your customer support? Determine which ideas are feasible and worth investing resources in.
Then move forward by turning one of your ideas or high-level solutions into a working prototype. Put it to the test with real customers, determine if it aligns with market needs and gather valuable insights for future development.
Dive deeper into AI
The very first step towards using AI effectively is understanding what you can do with it. So, keep up with all the latest developments around AI. Our publication ‘AI beyond Technology’ is a great place to start.
Strategic AI workshops
Find out more about the possibilities of AI for your organisation in a practical workshop.
