When electricity first came into the homes of ordinary people at the end of the 19th century, society split into two camps. Some considered copper wiring the greatest breakthrough, while others saw it as a deadly gamble. History has since clarified everything.
Today we observe a similar situation, only instead of electricity — artificial intelligence. The conservative majority is waiting, while the brave are already reaping the benefits.
The moment of truth for every leader
Modern business is undergoing a period of fundamental transformation. Familiar strategies are ceasing to work, while new ones are not yet fully formed. In this situation, every leader faces a fundamental choice: to take the risk and step into the unknown or to stick to the tried-and-true path.
The phenomenon is remarkable — access to technology is roughly the same for all market participants, yet they apply it radically differently. The issue is not the availability of tools, but the willingness to implement them boldly — without regard for traditions and conservative biases.
Real estate, banks, manufacturing, medicine — in every industry, a layer of pioneers is emerging, ready to experiment with artificial intelligence. Not in theory, but in practice. Not for a checkbox in the annual report, but for real transformation of business processes.
The 'let's wait for others to try' syndrome
Why do so many leaders take a wait-and-see approach? The psychology of decision-making in business deserves separate study. The fear of making a mistake paralyzes more than the fear of missed opportunities. Conservatism seems like a safe option until it becomes a fatal mistake.
Recall the notorious story of the Borders bookstore chain in the USA. When Amazon began its triumphant march, Borders' management decided that online retail was a temporary fad, and traditional retail would remain the 'gold standard.' The result of this strategy was the company's bankruptcy in 2011.
History is repeating itself a decade later, only now not with online retail but with artificial intelligence. The new digital stratification has already begun:
The first group is 'experimenters': companies where testing new approaches is elevated to a cult
The second group is 'observers': those who monitor innovations but are reluctant to implement them
The third group is 'nihilists': enterprises where new technologies are perceived as a threat
The gap between the first and third groups is widening every day. In five years, it will become insurmountable.
The Algorithm of Courage: from theory to practice
The human brain tends to seek safe solutions. This is an evolutionary mechanism that has ensured the survival of the species for millions of years. The problem is that in business, this mechanism often leads to the opposite result.
Technological courage is not an innate quality but a skill that can be developed. The implementation of artificial intelligence begins not with purchasing software but with transforming corporate culture. The secret ingredient is creating an environment where experimentation is valued more than faultlessness.
A leader's decisiveness is manifested precisely in the choice of approach to implementing new technologies. Most opt for a cautious 'island' path — creating a small experimental zone isolated from the main business. This reduces risks but also significantly limits potential breakthroughs. Leaders with greater technological resolve choose a 'parallel' approach, launching traditional and innovative systems simultaneously. This requires more resources and courage but allows for real-time comparison of effectiveness and gradual scaling of successful solutions.
Truly decisive leaders risk choosing a 'total' approach — a complete and swift immersion of the entire organization into a new technological reality. Such a radical choice requires exceptional confidence and a willingness to take full responsibility for possible failures. But it is these companies with brave leaders that find themselves at the crest of the technological wave when it becomes the dominant force in the market.
Leader of the new formation
The boundary between successful and unsuccessful companies of the future lies within the personality of the leader themselves. We live in a world where professional competencies are taking a back seat to fundamental personal qualities:
Intellectual Courage: the readiness to revise fundamental beliefs
Experimental Thinking: perceiving failures as a source of data
Technological Intuition: the ability to foresee the potential of new tools
Adaptability: the skill of restructuring processes on the fly
Today we smile as we recall fears about electric light harming eyesight and morals. But human psychology has not changed — we still fear the unknown. We observe a striking similarity between the panic surrounding electricity in the past and the suspicious attitude towards artificial intelligence today. And just as electrification divided companies into winners and losers, the acceptance of artificial intelligence is becoming a watershed in modern business.
The real question is not whether to implement artificial intelligence. The question is whether you want to be among those who continued making candles when the whole world had already switched to electric lighting.
