How to Create an AI Strategy for Your Business—And Why Most Leaders Are Getting It Wrong
Barry O'Reilly
Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Nobody Studios | Launching 100 Companies Over the Next 5 Years | Keynote Speaker | Bestselling Author of "UNLEARN" and "LEAN ENTERPRISE"
AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. If your business doesn’t have an AI strategy yet, you’re already behind. But catching up isn’t as complicated as you think.
Most executives approach AI all wrong.
They start with tools before strategy, assuming AI is just another add-on to their existing business model. They layer AI on top of old ways of working instead of reimagining how they operate from the ground up.
In my latest blog, How to Create an AI Strategy for Your Business, I break down how to think about AI across three levels of your organization:
This is a key aspect where Unlearning comes in.
In my book Unlearn, I define unlearning as the process of letting go, reframing, and moving away from once-useful mindsets that now limit success.
For AI, that means:
Companies that fail to unlearn these outdated paradigms will struggle to implement AI effectively. Those that do? They will outcompete, out-innovate, and outperform in every market.
At Nobody Studios, we applied this strategy ourselves with FundCo, our AI-powered investor discovery tool. The result? We saved a quarter of a year in human effort. AI isn’t replacing humans—it’s unlocking human potential.?Here’s how we did it.
Get My AI Strategy Worksheet + Watch My Live Webinar
If you’re ready to start building an AI strategy that works, grab my AI Strategy Worksheet here → Download Now
And don’t miss this on-demand 25-min webinar, we hosted where I’ll walk through:
Start Watching Now Here → YouTube Link
The 5-Step AI Strategy Framework for Business Growth
If you’re serious about leveraging AI for real impact, you need a structured approach—one that focuses on solving real business problems, not just experimenting with shiny tech.
Here’s how:
1. Define a Business Problem AI Can Solve
Start with a clear problem statement.
? Bad AI strategy: “We will use AI to enhance our business.”
? Good AI strategy: “We will use AI to automate customer onboarding, reducing time-to-activation from 7 days to 2 hours.”
Ask yourself:
2. Identify the Right AI Leverage Points
Not all AI applications create equal value. The biggest ROI comes from:
3. Set Clear Metrics for Success
AI isn’t just about being innovative—it must drive measurable business results.
4. Build AI Into the Core of Your Business Model
AI isn’t a side project—it must be embedded into your operating system.
Examples of AI-first business models:
5. Move Fast: Rapid Prototyping & Iteration
The biggest mistake companies make? Over-planning AI strategy instead of executing.
AI Fluency = Career Growth
If you think AI is just about business efficiency, you’re missing the bigger picture.
AI fluency will define career success in the next decade. Kristie Edling-Day,?Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Advisor Technology at LPL Financial,?and I unpacked this in our latest podcast, Why Playing Too Small is Stopping Your Career Growth—why those who lean into AI will accelerate their careers while those who resist will fall behind.
Finding Untapped AI Niches for Explosive Growth
Some of the fastest-scaling companies today aren’t just using AI—they’re building for AI-first markets.
Crystal Gonzalez has done this at Viber, Canva, and now NoneAway. In our conversation, How to Build a Viral App by Finding Untapped Niches, we discuss how finding whitespace in AI markets can lead to explosive growth.
If you want to build the next viral product, this is a must-listen.
AI is no longer optional—it’s a business necessity. The companies that act now will lead.
Everyone else? They’ll be left behind.
Remember, if you want help creating an AI strategy for your company, reply or get in touch, we’ve helped a lot of the current leaders accelerate their success.
Talks
I give talks all over the world, sharing my expertise, insights and stories of my own and others’ learning and unlearning.
In this talk, I share the key issues holding organizations back from unleashing innovation and explain three areas to consider when aligning your organizational vision, strategy, and product portfolio to achieve high performance at scale.
Unlearn Podcast
Why Playing Too Small Is Stopping Your Finance Career Growth with Kristie Edling-Day
Welcome to UNLEARN, the podcast where we will discuss the transformative journeys, innovative tactics, and the pivotal mindset shifts necessary for authentic progress and development. Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Kristie Edling-Day, the current Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Advisor Technology at LPL Financial, and former Principal and Chief Information Officer at Vanguard, a pioneer in strategic development and information management.
Welcome to UNLEARN, the podcast where we explore the transformative experiences, strategies, and mindset shifts essential for true innovation and growth. Today, I’m honored to host Crystal Lee Gonzalez, a trailblazer in strategic growth and innovation across Southeast Asia.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Crystal has spent the last fifteen years shaping and scaling some of the region’s most prominent brands. She is the Co-Founder & CEO of NoneAway and was previously the Co-Founder of PICK.A.ROO.
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Best,
Barry