The real AI skills gap isn't about finding data scientists. It's about bridging the gap between people who hoard knowledge and people who need it, between employees protecting their value and organizations that need teams to work differently.
Every technology project comes down to two things: getting information into systems or getting information out. Understanding this pattern changes how you approach digital transformation - and determines whether AI creates value or just complexity.
That $2M IoT investment isn't failing because of technology. It's failing because your operational data is fragmented and your customer intelligence is siloed. Here's how the companies who actually succeed approach product intelligence.
Industrial B2B companies know more about their customers than Amazon ever could - what they manufacture, how their production runs, when equipment needs service. The problem? That intelligence is trapped in systems designed to process transactions, not generate insights.
The best AI implementations I've seen started with something unexpected: companies running 15-year-old ERP systems. Not the newest platforms - old, stable systems sitting on decades of clean operational data. Your ancient ERP might be your biggest AI advantage.
Roughly every 20 years, a technology wave reshapes business. ERP automated operations (1960s-1980s). The Internet connected customers (2000s). IoT enabled smart products (2010s). AI is the fourth wave - transforming how expertise flows through teams. Unlike previous waves, AI disrupts knowledge hierarchies and challenges who controls information in your organization. Understanding this pattern reveals why AI implementation requires organizational change, not just technology deployment.
70-80% of digital transformations fail. Not because the technology doesn't work, but because the pieces never connect. The 5 Building Blocks is a digital transformation framework that shows you where AI actually creates value - and why it's all about how information flows.
Your board allocated budget supporting an AI strategy. Marketing wants generative AI. Operations wants predictive analytics. IT wants pattern recognition. Nobody's talking about the same thing - and that confusion is costing you real money.
It's 3pm Thursday. You need a decision by Monday. You know the frameworks, but your situation is messier than any textbook. What if you had a virtual executive advisor with 40 years of experience available when you're stuck? Here's how applied wisdom bridges the gap between knowing and doing.
AI hasn't solved the decades-old knowledge management problem. It's just changed which skills matter. Learn why capturing organizational knowledge is still the hardest challenge, and discover the three critical capabilities your team needs to succeed in the AI era.