While the world embraces AI, many leaders have AI capability at their fingertips but are unsure what to do. If you are one of them, it could cost you dearly say Tobias Studer Andersson, innovation director at Sopra Steria Norway and Tor W. Andreassen, professor of innovation at NHH Norway.
Companies have made progress in AI, but development is still in its early stages. According to Statistics Norway (SSB), few businesses have truly integrated AI into their operations. The potential for further growth, especially with more advanced technologies, is significant. The obstacles can be structural: small businesses with limited resources, lack of AI expertise, or weaker incentives to adopt the technology. But the biggest challenge may be a fundamental misunderstanding of what AI actually entails.
Some companies use AI strategically to create value and capture market share. Others hope that having access to the tools is enough. It is not. The next generations of AI will be both faster and smarter. Those who start early will learn faster and build solutions that ensure future competitiveness. Those who wait risk being subjected to digital Darwinism.
AI requires action, not talk
According to McKinsey, generative AI can unlock values of up to $4.4 trillion globally. Yet, a report from Sopra Steria shows that only one in seven AI pilots reach the production phase. Many still see AI as a tool for cost-cutting, not a driver for strategic innovation. In the absence of clear AI guidelines and strategies, something interesting happens under the radar. Employees use AI on their own to increase productivity or improve the quality of their work – often without management or colleagues being aware of it. While this can yield positive results for the individual, it rarely leads to holistic and strategic improvements.
The next generation of AI is already here
While many leaders are still trying to understand first-generation AI, the technology has already moved on. We now see "long-thinking AI" and AI agents that learn, analyse, and reason over time. This is not the future – it is happening now. Companies that start early achieve an advantage that competitors can’t catch up with. They build data, expertise, and insights. They create a culture of learning and innovation and use AI to develop solutions that meet customer needs.
To create real value, AI must be used to develop better products, personalisation, smarter services, and new business models. It is about building new revenue streams, increasing willingness to pay, and promoting long-term growth. We must also leverage AI to solve problems we have never been able to handle before.
AI is about experimentation
The most important thing about AI is not the technology, but the learning it provides. AI requires an experimental approach: testing, failing, and finding out what works. This means avoiding the "solution looking for a problem" trap. Those who start now have time to build competence and a learning culture. Those who wait risk being left without experience, insight, or tools to compete in an AI-driven economy. Here’s how to get started:
- Define an AI vision: What should AI contribute to your business?
- Start learning now: Identify specific problems AI can solve and get started.
- Build a portfolio: Start with small projects that can be tested and scaled.
- Open innovation and collaboration: Invite external partners like startups and academia to develop solutions together.
- Use innovation methodology systemically: Experiment, test quickly, and learn faster.
- Think long-term: The next generation of AI requires deep understanding built over time.
2025 must be the year when incumbent businesses take AI seriously and create real value. The time for waiting and seeing is over. AI will not replace businesses or jobs. But the companies that use AI will replace those that do not. This is not a future possibility – the AI revolution is happening now. If your business is to be among the winners, action must start today.