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• AI Moves From Experiment To Core Strategy

• Real ROI from Gen AI

• AI analytics showdown: ThoughtSpot vs. Tableau

People

• Priya Donti’s pragmatic vision for climate AI 

Love

• How to choose tech that fuels growth, not kills it

• Transformative Reads: Thinking, Fast and Slow

Reading time: 3 min. 

Top Insights

• Bezos's "good bubble" validates the long-term AI payoff

• Microsoft's $33B bet fuels the AI infrastructure race

• Mira Murati's stealth lab unveils its first AI product

• A16z's spending report reveals where startup AI dollars actually flow

• AI boom now fuels the real economy

AI moves from experiment to core strategy

AI is no longer an experiment but a core component of corporate strategy, with 78% of organizations now using AI, a significant jump from 55% the previous year. This integration is happening at the highest levels, as nearly half of all technology leaders report that AI is now fully integrated into their core business strategy, signaling a fundamental shift in how companies operate and compete. The focus has moved beyond simple automation to system-wide productivity, fundamentally altering the foundations of corporate performance.

The executive playbook:

• Conduct a formal strategy assessment to identify where AI can create new value, reduce costs, and support new business models beyond isolated use cases.

• Prioritize data modernization by focusing on the highest-quality data subsets that can deliver immediate value, rather than trying to perfect all data at once.

• Establish business-relevant metrics for AI initiatives, such as new revenue generated, accelerated project delivery, and productivity gains, to ensure and demonstrate ROI.

• Prepare for a blended human-AI workforce by developing new management models and upskilling programs to effectively integrate "digital workers" or AI agents.

Turning these strategic imperatives into reality is our focus at Future Works. For Lighthouse readers navigating this shift, we reserve a few spots each quarter for our free AI Strategy Sprints, designed to deliver a clear, executive-ready plan. Learn more and apply here.

Real ROI from Gen AI

How human-centric AI delivers business results.

• Siemens uses a generative AI assistant to accelerate industrial design and coding, freeing engineers to focus on more complex, innovative work.

• Unilever deploys generative AI to create marketing concepts in minutes, enabling teams to test ideas and respond to consumer trends faster.

• General Motors automates routine software development with a custom AI chatbot, allowing engineers to focus on advanced vehicle safety and performance.

Tool Spotlight

Your weekly briefing on tools that create competitive leverage

ThoughtSpot or Tableau? Here's your AI analytics breakdown

ThoughtSpot best for: Business leaders who need instant, conversational data insights without relying on technical teams. Choose if you:

• Want to empower non-technical users to self-serve analytics through a search-like interface.

• Need to quickly identify trends and anomalies with AI-driven suggestions.

• Prioritize speed-to-insight for agile, data-informed decision-making.

Tableau best for: Data teams requiring a powerful and flexible platform for creating in-depth, customized data visualizations and dashboards. Choose if you:

• Need granular control over complex data sources and visualization design.

• Have dedicated analysts to build and maintain sophisticated reporting.

• Require a robust, enterprise-grade solution for comprehensive business intelligence.

3 more AI analytics platforms to explore:

• Microsoft Power BI integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem for end-to-end business analytics.

• Qlik Sense features an associative engine that reveals hidden connections in your data.

• Domo combines BI with data integration and app development.

Transformation Champion

Priya Donti’s pragmatic vision for climate AI

As cofounder of Climate Change AI, Donti confronts the dual nature of machine learning, recognizing it can both help and harm sustainability. Her nonprofit fosters a global community to apply AI for positive impact, earning her a place on the TIME100 AI list of most influential people.

Donti urges mindfulness of the technology's effects, stating, “There are lots of subtle but transformative effects machine learning has that we should be paying attention to in the context of climate”.

How to choose tech that fuels growth, not kills it

Choosing the wrong ERP system traps your business in rigid processes, killing the agility needed to compete. Your digital core should be a launchpad, not a cage.

Here’s how to get it right:

1. Prioritize scalability to ensure the platform evolves with your business

2. Choose your implementation partner as carefully as the software itself

3. Match the system to your business profile to avoid costly customization

Build a foundation for the future with our guide to the top 6 ERP platforms for business efficiency.

Transformative Reads

One book, handpicked from my conversations with friends, industry leaders, and tech innovators:

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman reveals the two systems driving our minds: the fast, intuitive System 1 and the slow, logical System 2. This masterpiece explains how their conflict creates cognitive biases that distort our judgment. By understanding these patterns, we can overcome mental errors and make significantly better decisions in any high-stakes environment.

Perfect for: Leaders, strategists, and professionals seeking to improve their critical thinking and decision-making.

In Culture

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