The Uncomfortable Truth About AI
How many times have you heard, ‘AI is the future, but we don’t do that yet’? The reality is that AI isn’t just the future—it’s already here. While your company might be hesitant, your competitors, especially those in China, are already adopting it. The real fear isn’t that AI will replace your job, but that it will come for your company. If your business fails to adapt, you’ll be out of a job not because AI took it, but because the company collapsed.
A Cautionary Tale: Broderbund’s Failure to Adapt
In 1997, I was a senior executive at Broderbund, the largest consumer software company at the time. We created iconic products like Myst and Carmen Sandiego. However, we failed to embrace the Internet, and our franchises suffered as a result. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Kodak invented the digital camera but stuck to film and went bankrupt by 2012. Nokia dominated mobile phones but dismissed smartphones and was crushed by Apple and Android.
The AI Inflection Point
AI is the next significant technological shift. Companies that ignore it risk losing to competitors, becoming irrelevant, and leaving their employees stranded when they fail. However, there’s good news: you don’t have to be a victim. Here’s how to protect yourself and your career:
- Start adopting AI now, even if it’s just small steps.
- Champion AI in your company; be the change maker.
- Gain experience with AI to make yourself valuable to forward-thinking firms.
To get started, build a business case for AI adoption and lead digital transformation with practical AI solutions. You don’t have to do this alone; there are AI experts you can bring in to help. All it takes is one call, one conversation, one decision to act. The question is: will you wait until it’s too late?
