Innovation Snapshot

"In the organization of the future, effective leadership will be about directing and fine-tuning the innovation machine, a complex system that converts signals to ideas and then opportunities to realized innovation; in a fast, adaptive way."

— George Krasadakis, Innovation Leader and Product Architect

In today's lineup:

🤖 Robots

• What to expect from AI this year

• My wild ride at CES 2025

• Gen AI use-cases you need to know

• Google's Project Mariner, your web co-pilot

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 People

• Rita McGrath: The "Strategic opportunity spotter”

❤️ Love

• Build an Innovation Machine in just 1hr a week

• Last call for The LEAP Guide giveaway!

Reading time: 5 min.

2025 is when AI gets real

Every few decades, technology takes a giant leap that changes how we all work. The steam engine did it. The internet did it.

And now, AI is about to do it again. Google Cloud's latest report shows us exactly how – and trust me, it's not what you might expect.

What's coming our way

• AI that sees, hears, and understands - market growing to $98.9B by 2037

• Smart AI helpers making teams work 15% faster

• Search that actually understands what you're looking for

• Customer service that feels human (finally!)

• Security that saves companies $2.2M on breach costs

•  89% of leaders expect AI to revolutionize their products and services.

Not all smooth sailing

Making AI bigger isn't working anymore. It's like trying to make a car go faster by just adding more fuel - there's a limit. Plus, AI's running out of good data to learn from, and using fake data might teach it the wrong things.

Many companies rushed into AI in 2024 with test projects that failed to scale. They missed crucial elements such as system infrastructure integration, security guardrails, and quality controls. Only 25% of companies are confident about their IT being capable of handling AI at scale.

What this means for business

Having the latest AI tools means nothing if you can't use them strategically. Start small, but start now.

Wondering how to ride this wave? Let's chat about making AI work for your business.

My week at CES 2025: Bots, bots, cars, bots. Embodied AI is here

Phew! After five days roaming the halls with over 138,000 other tech enthusiasts at CES...

One thing's crystal clear: AI is everywhere and it means business.

Never thought I'd be dreaming of a Honda, but here we are. Their "0 SUV" prototype with its fancy ASIMO OS just made every other EV look like yesterday's news. Best part? It's hitting our shores first in 2026, straight from their Ohio factory. (Take that, Tesla!)

Robots stole the show this year – and I'm not talking gimmicks. From coffee-making assistants to construction aids, these edge AI-powered helpers are looking seriously ready for business.

Just see my short video of this madness on LinkedIn:

Bottom line...

This year's CES proved that while everyone's talking AI, 2025 might be the year it actually has to prove its worth. If you missed the show, don't worry – your competitors were probably too busy being dazzled by all the shiny new toys to notice the real business opportunities.

Top Bites ⚡

Biden administration ignites firestorm with rules governing A.I.’s global spread

Elon Musk agrees that we’ve exhausted AI training data

Quantum teleportation achieved over internet for first time

Microsoft plans to invest $80 billion on AI-enabled data centers in fiscal 2025

Salesforce announces major hiring spree to boost AI sales

Gen AI in Action 🚀

Curious how industry leaders are driving real results with AI? Here are three powerful examples from companies transforming their work right now…

• AES transformed energy safety audits using AI agents, cutting costs by 99% and reducing audit time from 14 days to just one hour.

• Toyota's AI platform enables factory workers to create ML models independently, saving 10,000+ man-hours yearly.

• Suzano implemented an AI agent that translates natural language to SQL queries, achieving 95% faster data access for 50,000 employees.

Tool Spotlight 🔧

Google's Project Mariner, your browser just got smarter

Forget endless clicking and form-filling. Google's Project Mariner is built on Gemini 2.0. It’s an AI agent designed to automate web tasks, acting as your personal web navigator.

Why Project Mariner is making waves

• Its AI operates as a Chrome extension, understanding everything on your screen.

• Just type your instructions and Mariner will automate executions.

• Achieved an impressive 83.5% accuracy on the WebVoyager benchmark.

• Its built-in safeguards operates under human supervision.

• Leverages Gemini 2.0 for adaptive reasoning and real-time interactions.

While still in its early stages, Project Mariner is setting the stage for a future where AI navigates the web on our behalf—efficiently, safely, and intuitively.

Learn more

Transformation Champion 🏆

Rita McGrath: The "Strategic opportunity spotter"

While others are paralyzed by uncertainty, Rita McGrath sees 2025's massive disruptions as a goldmine of opportunities for those ready to take action. Where most see threats, she spots the golden opportunities hiding in plain sight - from AI reshaping how we work to what she calls the "supercycle" of changes happening right now.

Turning chaos into gold

• How to make uncertainty work in your favor

• Spotting massive changes before everyone else does

• Building a business that rolls with the punches

• Keeping your options open instead of sticking to one rigid plan

• Turning industry shake-ups into your secret weapon

Her big take? Don't wait around for things to get "back to normal" - that's not happening! The real winners are already out there turning today's chaos into tomorrow's breakthrough.

Want more? Get Rita's latest takes

LEAP Forward 🐸

How to build an Innovation Machine in just 1hr a week

At JLL, a global company with over 100,000 employees, we started with just five people meeting weekly to tackle AI innovation.

That small team's effort led to a successful board presentation and unlocked company-wide implementation. That's the power of what I call an Innovation Machine.

Instead of hoping innovation happens by chance, you build a simple system that runs in 3-month cycles. Each cycle starts with just 5 people meeting for 1 hour a week.

During these cycles, your team:

• Finds new opportunities

• Picks the best ones

• Creates action plans

• Tests quick prototypes

The real magic?

Once you complete a cycle, you can start two new ones. Soon multiple teams across your organization are discovering and implementing new ideas. No massive budgets needed, just a simple system that produces innovation again and again.

Ready to build your Innovation Machine?

Start small: gather 5 people and block one hour next week. That's all it takes to plant the first seed. More tips at The LEAP Guide.

Last call for The LEAP Guide giveaway! 🎁

I'm giving away 25 copies of the new edition that just hit Amazon bestseller status (those 5-star reviews mean the world! 🙏).

Whether you're just starting with AI or scaling your efforts, this guide breaks down exactly what you need to succeed in 2025.

No fluff, just practical, actionable steps that are already helping hundreds of leaders get real results.

👉 Quick, enter here before it's gone!

THAT’S A WRAP!

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