By Mark Dolinski, VP of Training & Professional Development, GRCA
Remember when the telephone hung on the kitchen wall? When the family computer sat on a desk in the home office? Or when a cellphone’s only job was to make phone calls?
Technology has always moved forward, but today it’s accelerating at a pace unlike anything we’ve experienced before. Each wave of innovation reshapes how we live and work, often faster than we expect.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the latest, and perhaps most transformative example of technology challenging long-held assumptions in the business world. What once seemed futuristic is quickly becoming foundational, redefining how organizations operate, compete and create value.
AI is forcing companies to rethink strategy, operating models, workflows and leadership expectations. Leaders don’t need to be data scientists, but they must understand how to integrate AI responsibly, guide change and redesign processes so that humans and machines complement one another.
Global investment in AI is projected to reach $2.5 trillion by 2026, signaling a historic shift in how value is created and competitive advantage is built. AI is no longer experimental; it is redefining strategy, operating models and growth. According to McKinsey & Com and PwC, 75% of executives say that AI will allow them to move into new businesses and ventures.
Yet many organizations are approaching AI tactically, delegating it to IT, experimenting with isolated pilot projects or treating it primarily as a tool for cost reduction. While these steps may feel prudent, they risk missing AI’s far greater potential as a strategic driver of growth, innovation and competitive advantage. Is this careful stewardship, or a hesitation to fully reimagine how the business can operate and compete?
The reality is that competitive disruption is accelerating. Organizations that view AI only through the lens of efficiency may find themselves reacting to change rather than shaping it. Leaders who delay building a comprehensive AI strategy often assume they have time, without fully recognizing how quickly competitors are embedding AI into products, decision-making and customer experiences. So, how do organizations move forward in a way that avoids getting swept up in the hype of new technology, yet still captures the innovation and growth that AI makes possible?
The challenge is not whether to adopt AI, but how to approach it with intention. The most effective organizations resist chasing every new tool and instead focus on where AI can
meaningfully enhance strategy, decision-making and value creation. They pair curiosity with discipline—testing, learning and scaling where the impact is clear.
The first step in understanding any new concept, skill or technology is developing literacy in its language. The same is true for AI. When leaders become fluent in the language of AI; its capabilities, limitations and practical applications; they are far better equipped to ask the right questions, make informed decisions and guide their organizations with confidence.
AI literacy does more than build knowledge; it creates alignment and organizational buy-in. It helps teams move beyond uncertainty and hype toward thoughtful experimentation and strategic application. From that foundation, organizations can begin building a clear, enterprise-wide AI strategy that connects technology to real business outcomes.
If your organization is ready to begin that journey and explore how AI can strengthen your strategy and business model, contact me at mdolinski@greaterreading.org.
Together, we can harness innovation to drive stronger businesses and a more vibrant community.