AI's Hidden Value: Look Where You're Not Spending

Finding transformation opportunities in your organization's resource gaps

Rule of thumb: AI is far more interesting for the things in your organization that you don't have a budget for than for the things you're already spending money on.

Don't take my word for it - it follows the Power Law. Most organizations concentrate resources on a few high-yield activities, leaving a long tail of opportunities untapped simply because they were too expensive to pursue.

When a new technological paradigm like AI emerges, many industries zero in on how their current money-makers might be disrupted. But the more relevant question is: How does AI allow you to do the things you couldn't afford to do before, even if you knew you should?

Here are some examples of the kind of opportunities, that I have discovered through my work over the last few weeks & months.

👕 Consider a fashion retailer with an informal process for spotting trends. AI can codify and enhance this, leading to better predictions.

🚛 Think about a logistics company with heaps of telemetry data from their trucks but no budget to turn it into actionable insights. AI can unlock efficiencies they didn't know they could afford.

🏢 Or a consultancy where crucial processes are tucked away as institutional knowledge, making it hard for new employees to access. AI can capture and share this expertise seamlessly.

In every industry, the untapped areas hold the most potential for AI-informed transformation.

Looking through my foresight lens, I can't help but see countless future states across industries where the real transformation isn't about disrupting core business—it's about finally actualizing all those "someday" projects and "if only we had the resources" ideas.

The pattern is clear: too many focus on protecting what is, the real opportunity lies in building what could be.