ChatGPT made its public debut in November 2022. Before then, artificial intelligence was largely a corporate buzzword or big tech slang. A little more than three years later, AI is no longer jargon; it’s ubiquitous. Everyone uses it everywhere, for everything. Looking down the road at 2030, AI is on track to dominate every aspect of business, from internal operations to external execution. Its potential to holistically transform how work gets done is endless.
While there is no question that AI will have a significant impact on the future of work, precisely what AI will look like in four years is yet to be determined. Many futurists suggest what’s to come, spanning grim visions of robots replacing humans to more optimistic images of AI improving the employee experience and providing more work/life balance. As always, the reality probably lies somewhere between the two, in a world where jobs look different.
People, however, are still the linchpin to organizational success. Either way, AI will impact every line on the P&L—revenues, costs, operations, people, and investments. It will affect every business leader’s ability to provide their product and/or service competitively. It will also impact their customers and competitors.
AI strategy
According to Vistage research, nearly three of four small- to midsize-business CEOs use an internally developed strategic planning process. However, these legacy frameworks often fail to accommodate new and emerging technologies. Leaders who don’t have a deliberate approach to integrating AI risk will be left behind and unprepared for the market and economic realities of an AI-powered 2030.
Adding AI to strategic planning can be daunting. Its uncharted and quickly evolving nature means there is no playbook or clearly defined destination in place. Add the dynamics of an AI-anxious workforce that is tasked with leveraging tools that they fear will eventually put them out of a job—in effect making people feel as though they are digging their own graves—and it’s no surprise many business leaders are wary about adding AI to their tried-and-true planning processes. However, AI is happening now. CEOs must begin embracing AI rapidly and intentionally to remain competitive—both today and down the road.
How to embed AI into your business’s strategic planning
Business leaders can begin embedding AI into their strategic planning by focusing on the following key areas:
- Market analysis. How is AI reshaping the marketplace, including competitors, pricing, and capabilities?
- Competitive advantage. How does it change your unique value proposition that customers will recognize and reward in an environment of rapidly changing customer requirements?
- Financial planning. How does it impact your ROI and investment models?
- Operational execution. How does it impact your productivity as an organization? How can you leverage employees’ individual productivity gains and how can you automate existing workflows to capitalize on the power of AI?
- Skills and tools. What are the skills that your workforce will need to develop. What are the tools they’ll need to thrive in the future?
- Governance. How can you ensure you have the right security protocols, data protection, and ethical considerations in place?
By diving deep into these six areas, CEOs can begin honing their long-term vision and tactical approach to integrating AI into their business. By developing a strong point of view and blueprint for implementing AI, CEOs can position themselves for long-term gains. Overcoming the hesitation to integrate AI is challenging, and taking AI from experimentation to mastery is no small—nor speedy—task.
Make no mistake. AI is here, and it is already actively transforming business. Those who take a proactive approach to AI will be primed for success, whether it’s in 2026, 2030, or beyond.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
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Joe Galvin
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