As someone who's been in the trenches of AI implementation with dozens of companies over the past year, I can tell you that the landscape has shifted dramatically. Just recently, I had a conversation with a CEO of a 10-20 million dollar revenue company that perfectly illustrated where we are today and where businesses need to focus their AI efforts.

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Let me share what I'm seeing across the board and the framework I'm recommending to CEOs who are ready to embrace AI but aren't sure where to start.

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The Two-Path Framework for AI Adoption

When this CEO asked me "Where do I even start with AI?", I laid out what has become my standard framework for AI implementation in businesses. There are essentially two paths you can take, and understanding the difference between them is crucial for successful adoption.

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Path 1: Individual Efficiency Gains

The easiest place to start is by empowering individuals within your organization to examine their own roles and identify quick wins. This approach requires minimal organizational change and can deliver immediate results.For example, this company had already discovered that their copywriting team could leverage ChatGPT for content creation. That's the kind of low-hanging fruit every business should be harvesting right now. The key is to create a culture where employees feel empowered to question their existing workflows and explore AI tools that can drive personal efficiency.

This path is about:

- Creating permission for experimentation

- Encouraging individual exploration of AI tools

- Focusing on task-level improvements

- Building AI literacy across the organization

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Path 2: Workflow and Department-Level Transformation

The second path is more challenging but offers dramatically larger returns. This involves re-architecting entire workflows or departments using AI. When I showed this CEO how we could potentially replace a $500,000 department function with AI, his face dropped. He immediately understood both the opportunity and the challenge."This is a big structural change," he said. "I have five people doing this."That reaction is completely normal. When you're looking at department-level changes, you're not just implementing technology – you're fundamentally changing how your business operates.

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Cost vs. Growth: Where to Start Your AI Journey

After walking through several examples with various-sized problems ($500K, $300K, and $100K opportunities), the CEO was overwhelmed. "I don't really know where to start with this," he admitted.Here's the guidance I give every executive: Start with cost opportunities, not growth opportunities.Why? Cost reduction is tangible and immediate. You already understand the process, you know what it costs, and you can measure the savings directly. When you see a demo that shows how 90% of a specific cost can be eliminated, the ROI is crystal clear.Growth opportunities, while exciting, require more learning and experimentation. They involve doing things you haven't done before, exploring new markets, or creating entirely new capabilities. Save these for phase two, after you've built some AI muscle memory in your organization.

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The Real Challenge: Operational Transformation

What struck me most about my conversation with this CEO was his immediate recognition that AI would fundamentally change his company's operational structure. This is the conversation every business leader needs to have.The truth is, we're going to see a devaluation of pure operational expertise over the next two years. As more processes become automated, the premium will shift to creativity, craftsmanship, and strategic thinking – especially in industries where differentiation and innovation matter.This business perfectly illustrates the point. They have numerous functions that aren't creative or strategic. These functions don't differentiate the business – they're just necessary operational overhead. That's where AI can have the most immediate impact.

Practical Next Steps for CEOs

Based on my experience working with dozens of companies, here's your action plan:

- Audit Your Costs: Identify your top 5 most expensive operational processes

- Look for Opportunity: Find repetitive work that doesn't require creativity

- Start Small: Pick one process and run a pilot program

- Measure Everything: Document time savings, cost reductions, and quality improvements

- Scale Gradually: Use learnings from pilots to inform broader implementation

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The Future is Already Here

The most exciting realization from my recent conversations is this: Businesses are ready. The resistance and skepticism I encountered even six months ago has largely evaporated. CEOs understand that AI adoption isn't optional – it's a competitive necessity.

The companies that will thrive are those that start now, begin with cost optimization, and gradually build toward transformative growth opportunities. The tools are mature, the education is available, and the market is primed for adoption.

Your competitors are already moving. The question isn't whether to adopt AI in your business – it's how quickly you can start capturing value from it.

The time for planning is over. The time for implementation is now.‍

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Ian Sweeney is an AI entrepreneur, CEO of bepo.ai and the co-host of the Breakneck Podcast, where he explores the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence with fellow founder and CEO of Pact, Matt Pasienski.

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