The Only 4 Ways You Should Be Using A.I Now

I developed the AI Strategy Scanner as a strategic lens for decision-making around AI.

It outlines four distinct opportunities for how organizations can work with AI, divided across two axes: internal vs. external, and today vs. tomorrow.

Most teams default to only one of these spaces, which limits growth and blinds us to what’s possible.

Read more on the Today Team and the Tomorrow Team to learn how to balance present and future work.

What is the Efficiency Machine (Today, Internal)?

This is where almost everyone starts. AI is used to make existing systems faster, cheaper, and more accurate.

Tech companies have already shifted heavily in this direction, firing rather than hiring because efficiency has become the central goal.

McKinsey has deployed 12,000 AI agents and let go of 5,000 people. Omega Health in the US used AI to cut turnaround times by 50% and achieve 99.95% accuracy.

This is valuable work, but it’s what everyone is doing. It doesn’t create anything fundamentally new.

How can you Delight and Surprise (Today, External)?

The second opportunity is using AI to elevate the customer experience. This requires a different team and mindset than efficiency. For example, Starbucks uses AI to trigger personalized ads based on weather patterns. The system analyzes past behavior, predicts preferences, and sends relevant offers. This is external-facing, creative, and aimed at surprise—not optimization. Most companies mistakenly expect the same people who optimize systems to also innovate customer engagement. They shouldn’t.

Why Change Your Core Offering (Tomorrow, Internal)?

This is where awareness becomes a constraint. Existing executive teams often struggle to imagine altering the core offering because they’ve spent their entire careers perfecting the current one.

A powerful example is Pharma.ai in Hong Kong. They launched nine new drugs in their first year.

Pfizer might deliver four or five in the same period, at hundreds of millions of dollars each. Pharma.ai does it at a fraction of the cost.

This is a fundamental shift in what the company is. Pharma.ai is forcing the entire pharmaceutical industry to rethink its core model. Either the incumbents acquire them, or they adopt a similar AI-driven approach.

How Can You Create Entirely New Industries (Tomorrow, External)?

The final quadrant is about inventing new products, industries, and services—things that didn’t exist before. Built Robotics is an example.

They developed robots specifically for construction, enabling 3D-printed structures and automated building processes.

This isn’t an efficiency play; it’s a reinvention of how construction happens at a foundational level.

FAQ:

Q: What are the four ways to work with AI?

A: The four ways to work with AI are:

Efficiency Machine (Today, Internal),

Delight and Surprise (Today, External),

Change Your Core Offering (Tomorrow, Internal)

Create Entirely New Industries (Tomorrow, External).

Q: How can AI be used to improve efficiency?

A: AI can be used to make existing systems faster, cheaper, and more accurate. Tech companies have already shifted heavily in this direction, using AI to optimize processes and reduce headcount.

Q: What are some examples of using AI to delight customers?

A: Starbucks uses AI to trigger personalized ads based on weather patterns. The system analyzes past behavior, predicts preferences, and sends relevant offers to customers. This is an external-facing, creative use of AI aimed at surprising and delighting customers.

Q: How can AI help companies change their core offerings?

A: AI can enable companies to fundamentally shift their core products and services.

For example, Pharma.ai in Hong Kong launched nine new drugs in their first year, a fraction of the time and cost of traditional pharmaceutical companies. This forces the industry to rethink its core model.

Q: What are some examples of AI creating entirely new industries?

A: Built Robotics developed robots specifically for construction, enabling 3D-printed structures and automated building processes.

This isn’t just an efficiency play, but a reinvention of how construction happens at a foundational level, creating a new industry.

In Summary

These four lenses clarify where your organization currently sits and where it could play. Most teams are only equipped for efficiency.

The bigger opportunities sit in different quadrants, requiring different people, mindsets, and ambitions.

Note: This blog post is an adaptation of the transcript from the video below, which forms part of my video series on AI.