Business Technology Roundtable

Applied-AI adoption inside enterprises has nearly tripled in four years, moving from roughly 7 percent of OECD firms in 2021 to 20 percent in 2025. Over the same stretch of time, the share of the workforce demonstrating recognized AI skills has barely cleared 1 percent. That gap, not the pace of AI model releases, is the strategic problem every C-suite now has to own and purposefully resolve. The Widening Gap Between Deployment and Capability Half of small and medium enterprises now cite a lack of skills as the reason they have not adopted generative AI tools, according to the OECD's newly declassified paper, Skills in the AI Age. Across 10 member countries, roughly one third of job vacancies already sit in occupations with high AI exposure, a share expected to keep climbing as generative tools embed themselves in everyday workplace software. Executives who treat this as a training line item rather than a workforce architecture problem will spend the next few years chasing a target...

A strategic business case and global market assessment The enterprise artificial intelligence landscape is undergoing a profound structural transition, particularly with the Professional Services related industries. As AI foundation models commoditize basic text generation and public datasets reach cognitive density limits, forward-thinking organizations are realizing that generic intelligence offers no sustainable competitive advantage. In response, enterprise architects and strategic advisors are shifting focus toward architectures that capture, structure, and monetize internal institutional knowledge. Central to this structural pivot is the concept of the Proprietary Intelligence Foundry. The foundry represents a strategic pipeline framework designed to transform an enterprise's undocumented human judgment into a permanent, defensible, and sovereign digital asset. Conceptual Foundations The Proprietary Intelligence Foundry is defined as a strategic pipeline architecture that cap...

The generative AI (GenAI) wave that began with ChatGPT's arrival in late 2022 has already started to feel like yesterday's story. A recent TBR research report on the Applied-AI and GenAI market landscape makes one thing clear: the industry is pivoting fast, and the companies that fail to adapt to agentic AI will find themselves playing catch-up in a market that rewards those who move decisively. For the uninitiated, agentic AI refers to systems that don't just respond to prompts but actively plan, execute, and iterate across complex multi-step workflows with minimal human intervention. This is no longer a futurist talking point. It is reshaping how enterprises think about automation, how IT service firms price their work, and how hyperscalers compete for the next trillion dollars in technology spending. A Market Growing at Breakneck Speed The numbers alone make a compelling case for attention. TBR estimates that combined AI and GenAI revenue across major hyperscalers, inclu...

This report is the first in a series of research-based editorials that profile the leading artificial intelligence "AI Stack" advantages, from the large enterprise senior executive perspective. Your Strategic Advantage in The AI Era The enterprise AI market is not just growing; it's exploding, with projections reaching hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030. For large enterprises, the strategic implementation of Applied-AI is no longer optional — it is the new frontier for long-term competitive advantage. The core challenge has shifted from AI experimentation to deploying scalable solutions that deliver tangible business outcomes, such as significant cost savings, new revenue streams, and superior customer experiences. However, hurdles like data silos, talent shortages, and proving value are significant. This advisory guidance makes the case for a strategic Applied-AI Initiative built on the Google AI stack. Google Cloud has established itself as a "Full-Stack Inno...

Many CEOs say their company is all-in on AI. Every one of their earnings calls touts AI integration. Their strategy deck features the words AI-powered a dozen times. Yet when I review these same organizations, I encounter a starkly different reality: employees using consumer  Generative AI (GenAI) tools in secret, departments building redundant solutions, and confusion about what AI transformation actually means. Recent research from Google also reveals the inconvenient truth: Just 3 percent of organizations have achieved meaningful AI transformation. However, 97 percent remain mired in what I call AI aspiration fantasy theater. This isn't a technology problem. The GenAI tools work. The models are remarkable. The issue is that we've fundamentally misunderstood what meaningful and substantive AI transformation requires. The Executive Blind Spot The data reveals a troubling pattern: executives are 15 percentage points more likely than their employees to believe that AI is alread...

The rapid evolution of Generative AI (GenAI) platforms has sparked a transformation in how progressive organizations leverage their institutional knowledge and enhance productivity. McKinsey's development of its internal GenAI platform, named Lilli, provides valuable insights into how large enterprises can successfully implement practical solutions while prioritizing user adoption and maintaining high security and quality standards. McKinsey's approach to developing Lilli is noteworthy for its methodical, user-centric implementation strategy. Starting with a small team of just four people that has since grown to over 150, the firm focused on solving specific operational challenges across four key domains: team performance, client development, service delivery, and post-project communications. Why Purposeful Adoption Planning Matters Rather than attempting to solve every possible use case at once, this focused approach has proven instrumental in the platform's successful ad...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools evolved and the inevitable outcome has arrived. The emerging Generative AI market demand has rapidly grown from initial hype and pilots to full-blown strategic implementation. The Wharton AI Report for 2024 reveals a nuanced picture of how the leading firms integrate this groundbreaking business technology into their operational frameworks. Key Insights and Market Dynamics The most striking statistic is the surge in generative AI adoption: 72 percent of decision-makers now report using generative AI at least once a week, compared to just 37 percent in 2023. This represents a dramatic shift from curiosity to active experimentation across multiple business functions. Spending has matched this enthusiasm, with generative AI budgets increasing by 130 percent since 2023. However, the growth trajectory is showing signs of stabilization. While 72 percent of respondents plan to increase AI budgets in the next year, a majority (57 percent) anticipate more mod...

The digital business sector is at a pivotal moment, particularly with Generative AI (GenAI) emerging as the most defining value-creation trend of 2024 and beyond. Are you prepared? Bain & Company's latest Technology Report provides a comprehensive look at how AI reshapes the industry landscape, creates new opportunities, and delivers tangible results for enterprises across sectors. As an independent industry analyst and consultant, I find the report's insights on enterprise opportunities with GenAI applications particularly enlightening and compelling. This transformational technology is driving meaningful and substantive business outcomes. It now has the potential to revolutionize how companies operate and compete globally. The Strategic GenAI Imperative Generative AI has moved firmly into the mainstream, with cloud service providers, enterprises, and technology vendors increasing their GenAI investments to unprecedented levels.  However, as with any transformative busine...