The Three-Pillar Framework to Implement AI on Large Enterprises

Enterprises struggle with disruption. Their records of dealing with major disruptive technologies – such as the advent of the web, smartphone, and cloud – are generally not encouraging. Responses are often too narrow, reactive, and late. In our team’s close collaborations with the late Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen and since, we’ve seen a relatively small number of enterprises rise to the challenge and capture the upside of upheaval. It isn’t easy, but a playbook does exist.

AI promises at least as much disruption as those other technologies. It carries innumerable dangers: poor quality outputs, employee alienation, new forms of competition, regulatory crackdown, and many more. But it also offers tremendous promise, such as through hyper-tailored offerings, lightning-fast responsiveness, and step-changes in costs. In our work with AI for over a decade, we’ve seen organizations reap these bounties. This playbook provides a close look at how to handle the disruption, drawing on lessons and case studies of organizations small and giant alike.

The ABC Framework: AI-ify the present, Become great at experimentation, and Create the future

This paper addresses these questions. It lays out three routes to take, and you need to take all three. You also must pursue all of them at once. Unlike with other initiatives, you won’t be able to work over distinct time horizons with different levels of urgency, because the industry’s rate of change won’t allow you that luxury. You’ll need to move at the speed of the market. We’ll show you how and give you examples.

AI-ify the Present: Improve productivity by applying AI to the way you work today

Become Great at Experimentation: Find new and better ways to use AI through bottoms-up initiatives

Create the Future: Determine how AI can fundamentally change what you do