The AI-First Business: Why Waiting is the New Losing

By Phil Beresford-Davis

Managing Director, Advisory Nexus

?

Introduction: The Robots Have Stopped Asking Permission

Once upon a time, we thought AI was going to be a helpful assistant—a charming, obedient little tool that would fetch us coffee (digitally, of course) and schedule our meetings while we humans handled the important stuff.

That fantasy ended the moment AI stopped waiting for us to tell it what to do and just started doing it anyway. AI has gone from a polite suggestion engine to an unapologetic architect of how businesses operate. It doesn’t ask if it can make your decisions—it informs you that it already has.

So where does this leave us? In a world where the companies still deciding whether to ‘embrace AI’ are the corporate equivalent of people refusing to get on an aeroplane because they ‘prefer the romance of sailing.’ Meanwhile, the AI-first organisations? They’re already reaching cruising altitude.

What does an AI-first business look like? Which industries will be upended first? And—most crucially—is there any actual escape from this automation juggernaut?(Spoiler: No.)

?

1. Why AI-First is Inevitable: Moore’s Law, Meet Your Mutant Offspring

To understand why AI-first is not optional, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane—where we meet Moore’s Law (the theory that computing power doubles every two years while costs halve). Moore’s Law was already impressive, but AI’s growth makes it look sluggish.

According to OpenAI, the computational power used to train AI models has been doubling every 3.4 months since 2012 (OpenAI, 2018). AI models that struggled with basic text completion a few years ago are now passing medical exams (Nature, 2023), designing buildings, and predicting stock markets better than human analysts (Goldman Sachs, 2023). We have officially lost control of the rate at which AI is improving.

Which means businesses have two choices:

1. Use AI as a core operating principle, allowing it to structure workflows, automate decision-making, and reshape organisational hierarchies.

2. Continue hiring committees to ‘evaluate’ AI while competitors use it to replace their entire middle management.

Choose wisely.

?

2. What AI-First Businesses Look Like: The Shape of Things to Come

The AI-first company is not just a normal company with better automation. It is a business that restructures itself entirely around AI’s decision-making capabilities. Here’s how:

A. The AI-Driven Network Organisation

?? Structure: No static teams, no rigid job descriptions—just AI-driven team formation based on real-time business needs.

?? AI’s Role: AI allocates people dynamically, shifting resources like an omniscient, tireless HR overlord (Deloitte AI Workforce Report, 2023).

?? Impact: No one is ‘assigned’ to a department anymore—AI decides where your skills are needed today.

?? Example: Accenture is already implementing AI-driven workforce allocation (Forbes, 2022). In the future, consultants won’t ‘belong’ to a division—AI will dynamically assign them where they’re most useful.

?

B. The AI-Powered Experience Engine (Goodbye, Human Intuition)

?? Structure: AI predicts and manages customer experiences before customers even realise what they want.

?? AI’s Role: Instead of users choosing options, AI curates entire experiences for them—pricing, recommendations, logistics, everything.

?? Impact: Human ‘decision-making’ is now largely ceremonial. AI has already decided what’s best for you.

?? Example: Airbnb is experimenting with AI-generated itineraries (Skift, 2023). Instead of just suggesting a city and a few hotels, AI could create a complete itinerary, pre-booking events, dining, and experiences before you even click ‘search.’

?

C. Uber’s AI-Optimised Gig Economy (No More Guessing)

?? Structure: AI manages fleet allocation, driver incentives, and real-time demand prediction (Uber AI, 2023).

?? AI’s Role: Instead of Uber reacting to demand, AI predicts where drivers will be needed in 30 minutes and moves them there preemptively.

?? Impact: Surge pricing doesn’t just respond to demand—it prevents shortages before they happen.

?? Example: Uber already experiments with AI-based ride distribution. In an AI-first Uber, drivers wouldn’t pick their own routes—AI would dictate fleet positioning in real-time (MIT Technology Review, 2023).

?

3. AI Has Already Started Making Decisions Without Asking

?? AI-Driven Hiring: LinkedIn’s AI filters candidates before job postings even go live.

?? AI-Generated News: Google’s AI compiles summaries before users search.

?? AI-Routed Traffic: Google Maps reroutes entire cities’ traffic flow in real-time.

?? AI-Powered Investing: High-frequency trading AI moves billions in the stock market without human intervention.

?? AI isn’t waiting for permission anymore. It’s already running things. The question is: How much control have we already handed over?

?

4. The Final Word: AI-First or AI-Obsolete?

?? AI-first companies will dominate industries by restructuring how decisions are made, how employees are assigned, and how customers experience services.

?? Traditional companies that ignore AI’s potential will suffer the same fate as Blockbuster, Kodak, and horse-drawn carriage manufacturers.

There is no opting out of this transformation. The only question left is: How fast will you embrace AI before it embraces your competitors first?

?

Join the Conversation

?? Is your business moving toward AI-first, or are you still ‘evaluating options’?

?? How will industries prevent AI from eliminating human creativity?

Let’s discuss in the comments or connect on LinkedIn!