This week I had the privilege of an AI session at INSEAD Paris with more than 60 executives from around the world, in what was rightly a full house. Led by the brilliant Nathan Furr, the conversation kept returning to one question: what truly separates AI-driven companies from the rest?
The numbers don't lie
Numbers don't lie: 95% of GenAI transformations fail (MIT). +40% of Agentic AI projects canceled by 2027 (Gartner). 90% of CEOs & Execs admitting AI had no impact on productivity so far (Fortune). Only 2% of non-management employees seeing value in AI (WSJ).
Why? Because most are buying technology instead of building capabilities.
Buying technology instead of building capabilities
They run pilots and hope something sticks. They install copilots and expect transformation. They outsource their digital excellence to numerous vendors and consultants, and wonder why nothing compounds, why their fragmented silos just keep growing, why no one trusts or uses AI.
The Leadership Teams that thrive don't start "Agentic". They go through the non-sexy work first: modern connectivity, horizontal data platforms, an AI-first mindset & culture. They find hidden ninjas inside their business and technology teams, hire new ones, and unleash them to find the big problems to solve. They know the importance of building your own Intelligence side by side with the business, from the factory floor to the executive team.
There's no magic formula to AI success. Go all in on vision and foundations. Experiment and build trust. Every single day. Slowly, but naturally, teams start to pivot and become managers of infinite AI minds, redesigning how intelligence flows and work gets done across the organization.