16/05/2026
Something important was said at IBM's big tech conference this week - and it's worth every business owner paying attention.
IBM's CEO stood up and said: "The enterprises pulling ahead are not deploying more AI. They're redesigning how their business operates." - that's a significant distinction.
A lot of businesses right now have AI tools. Copilot, chatbots, a few automations. But they haven't changed how work actually gets done - who decides what, how information moves, what gets automated end-to-end.
IBM is calling the gap between these two approaches "the AI Divide." And they're predicting it will widen significantly over the next 12-18 months.
The good news? You don't need to be a large enterprise to get this right. Smaller, nimbler businesses can redesign their operations faster than most corporates can run a pilot programme.
But it does require thinking differently about AI. Not as a tool you add on. As an operating layer you build around.
If you've been wondering why your AI investments aren't delivering what you expected - this is usually why.
Happy to have a conversation with any business owner thinking through what this means for them.