Do you need an AI Strategy?

Mark Dermody
Sep 1
6 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

AI won’t just change your business, it will change your industry, whether you’re ready or not.

AI is everywhere and no longer confined to research labs or Silicon Valley Hype Cycles, in the news, on podcasts, on YouTube channels, and in everyday conversations on the bus or down the pub. The tone shifts between fear and hope, depending on who you ask.

The conversation is also firmly in the boardroom. Across the globe, boards are asking the same question: “What are we doing about AI?” For some, the focus is on revenue growth. For others, it’s on efficiency and cost reduction.

The pressure is real, and the stakes are high. Yet most companies still lack a clear AI strategy. The real question is: can you afford not to have one?

The short answer is that an AI strategy is critical for your business.

Many leaders today feel overwhelmed by the relentless flood of information. The constant stream of information creates fatigue, whilst the fear of falling behind and the anxiety of making the wrong decision often leads to paralysis. A clear strategy cuts through the noise, brings focus, consensus and builds the confidence to move forward.

The word strategy can sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the simpler the strategy, the more effective it’s likely to be. It doesn’t need to be a 50-page deck, often a few pages are enough. The value isn’t only in the document itself, it’s in the thinking and collaboration behind it.

When you define your strategy, you won’t know everything and that’s fine. You may know you’ll need an agentic AI tool, but not yet which one for instance. A good strategy should be written in a way that stands the test of time, be customer centric and guide decisions for the next few years. At a minimum, the strategy should cover:

Vision: How will AI reshape how we work and serve customers?
Goals: What outcomes do we want AI to deliver for the business?
Prioritised Opportunities: Where should we focus first, and what can wait?
Resources: What people, budget, and tools will we need?
Decisions: What are the critical choices ahead, and when must they be made?
Risks: What could go wrong, and how will we mitigate them?
First Steps: What can we start doing tomorrow to build momentum? Getting started is often the hardest bit.

A strong strategy doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It galvanises the organisation around a shared vision, creates clarity, separates hype from opportunity, and secures the commitment to resources needed to make progress.

In the same way that, at the start of the digital revolution, companies created separate digital strategies, it is entirely appropriate to have a separate AI strategy today.

A dedicated AI strategy ensures:

Urgency: Signals to the organisation that AI is a top priority.
Education: Builds leadership understanding of what AI is and how it impacts the business.
Coordination: Aligns initiatives under a central plan, avoiding duplication and fragmentation.
Momentum: Keeps AI from getting lost amongst competing priorities and ensures steady progress.

Over time, just as “digital” became business-as-usual, AI will no longer sit in its own silo. It will simply be how work gets done, embedded across every business unit strategy.

AI is no longer optional, it is central to the short, medium, and long-term future of every business. It will transform how companies operate, compete, and serve customers, with or without you. Those who fail to adopt it risk being left behind.

The scale of impact is unprecedented:

McKinsey forecast that AI could add $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy.
PwC estimates $15.7 trillion in additional global GDP by 2030.
Morgan Stanley forecasts $920 billion in additional S&P 500 profits by 2026, driving $13–16 trillion in equity market value gains.

The message is clear: AI will be one of the greatest wealth creation engines in history. The question is whether you will capture some of that value or watch others do it.

Without a clear strategy, the business is effectively rudderless. It won’t build the level of AI capability needed to deliver major profit gains and capture new market share instead, it will fall behind competitors. This shows up as:

Lack of Direction: Teams are reactive, working in silos, chasing hype and competitors rather than delivering to a focused plan.
Wasted Resources: Duplicate tools and pilots, wasted spend, and no clear ROI.
Employee Frustration & Burnout: Confusion over priorities, poor change management, and talent leaving for “AI first” organisations.
Missed Opportunities: Market share lost to competitors, weaker customer experiences, investor doubt in leadership, and financial underperformance.
Poor Decision-Making: Leadership delays adoption, fear takes over, and paralysis sets in.

Many companies are already delivering significant AI benefits:

Klarna: The global payments provider has embedded agentic AI into its customer service across 23 markets and 35 languages, handling queries such as refunds, returns, and payment issues. The AI agent now manages around two-thirds of all service chats, 2.3 million in its first month alone. That’s the equivalent workload of 700 agents, with average handling times down from 11 to under 2 minutes, 25% fewer repeat contacts, and an estimated $40 million in annual savings.

Bloom & Wild: The online florist transformed both marketing and customer service with AI. Campaign build times were cut by 85%, whilst highly personalised emails drove a 4 times uplift in engagement. On the customer service side, an AI assistant now resolves over half of customer queries instantly, reducing costs and freeing human agents to focus on more complex cases.

Gousto: The UK meal-kit company has used AI to scale rapidly while cutting waste. Smarter forecasting and fulfilment have enabled near-zero food waste and supported strong customer growth. AI-driven optimisation has delivered major cost savings, boosted team productivity, and improved overall efficiency across the supply chain.

AI is no longer a side project, it’s a compounding advantage in cost, speed, and customer experience. Competitors already using AI are lowering unit costs, shipping faster, and personalising at scale, setting new benchmarks for your market. Delay doesn’t just mean standing still, it means falling behind on learning, process optimisation, and talent. AI is now table stakes: the only real choice is whether you lead or lag.

There are common misconceptions About AI Strategy :

“It’s only for big companies.”
False. SMEs benefit even more, as AI can give them leverage against larger competitors.
“We’ll figure it out as we go.”
Without strategy, experimentation leads to wasted spend and risk exposure.
“We need to hire an army of AI specialists first.”
Not true. A strong strategy can begin with existing talent and the right partners.

AI strategy will shift from being a separate initiative to becoming the backbone of business strategy itself. Over time, every core function, finance, operations, marketing, supply chain, customer service, will be run with AI woven in at its centre.

The companies that pull ahead won’t just adopt tools, they’ll build a culture of continuous adaptation:

Decisions will accelerate, as leaders rely on real-time insights and simulations.
Operations will self optimise, with AI agents adjusting supply chains, logistics, and workflows in the background.
Customer experience will redefine loyalty, with interactions that feel personal, immediate, and effortless at scale.

The future is not about chasing the latest model. It’s about building the capability to keep learning, adapting, and compounding value as the technology evolves. The winners will be those who design AI into the fabric of their business so that, quarter after quarter, the organisation gets smarter, faster, and more competitive.

So, do you need an AI strategy?

The answer is clear, yes. Without one, you risk wasted investment, fragmented adoption, and falling behind competitors who are already moving faster. With one, you gain clarity, focus, and a roadmap to turn AI from noise into measurable business value.

At Tyde Consulting, we’ve helped organisations through major technology shifts, from digital and cloud to today’s AI revolution. We use a five-step framework to guide you through the strategy definition. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help, www.tydeconsult.com