Show leadership, not fear, with AI
A global PwC CEO survey found that more than half of chief executives say generative AI 'has resulted in efficiencies in how employees use their time, while a third reported increased revenue (32%) and profitability (34%).'
'AI is reshaping our business in ways that were once unimaginable,' Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of beverage and snack food giant PepsiCo, said in a press announcement about the company's AI ambitions.
The question for reluctant CEOs who are still on the fence about using AI in their organizations is: What are you waiting for?
In the age of intelligent machines, leaders who ignore AI are not being cautious; they are being reckless. The rise of agentic AI (applied AI that autonomously learns and acts) is reshaping markets at a blistering pace. These autonomous agents are a super-charged version of chatbots, empowering organizations to contact potential sales leads and create marketing content with almost no human intervention.
'At least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI by 2028, up from 0% in 2024,' according to Gartner. 'In addition, 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI by 2028, up from less than 1% in 2024.'
Executives across a broad swath of industries now face a stark choice: Actively engage with AI's risks and potential, or risk irrelevance. The duty of leadership today is to embrace AI's strategic implications head-on. Anything less is an abdication of responsibility.
This is not some illusion of choice, as if this innovation can be treated the same as others. It cannot. You don't have a choice in adoption or not, but you do have a choice in where you start and how you phase the scaling of AI.
THE TRILLION-DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY
AI's business impact is no longer hypothetical; it's here, and it's enormous. Global GDP is projected to be 14% higher by 2030 thanks to AI—an uplift of $15.7 trillion and more than China and India's combined output.
This value comes from AI-driven gains in productivity, efficiency, and new products. In fact, studies find that AI adoption boosts productivity significantly. Early experiments with GenAI tools show employee output jumping by 66% after automating tedious tasks.
According to McKinsey, GenAI had the potential to save businesses $1.2 trillion in annual labor costs by 2025. Projected savings have only increased since that study was released in 2023.
Across sectors, from manufacturing to health care to finance, AI is driving unprecedented growth and innovation. In fact, 78% of organizations worldwide reported using AI in 2024 (up from 55% in 2023).
The evidence is overwhelming: Firms that harness AI are reaping outsized rewards, from faster product development to personalized customer experiences, while those that hesitate leave massive value on the table.
Executives must also reckon with the risks of inaction. In survey after survey, business leaders voice the same alarm: 75% of CEOs believe AI will disrupt their industry within five years. They're likely right.
AI is a general-purpose technology poised to upend business models much like the internet did. History shows that innovation and early adoption consistently correlate with long-term growth and market leadership. Companies that embraced the internet early dominated the next era; AI presents a similar inflection point.
'Companies without an AI strategy are already behind,' warned a World Economic Forum report. According to McKinsey, 92% of companies plan to increase AI investments in the next three years, yet only 1% feel their organizations are truly 'AI mature' with AI fully integrated into operations.
This gap between ambition and execution is a ticking time bomb. Leaders who fail to embed AI at scale risk seeing more agile competitors seize their market share. In contrast, organizations that invested early in AI (the 'AI high performers') attribute 20% or more of their earnings to AI and outpace others in new AI capabilities.
The message is clear: Standing still invites disruption, while proactive innovation fuels resilience. Ignoring AI's strategic implications—whether it's transformative upside or the competitive risk it poses—is nothing short of negligent.
LEADING BOLDLY IN THE AI ERA
Responsible leadership in 2025 demands urgent, informed action on AI. This means going beyond lip service and small pilot projects. As one McKinsey study concludes, the biggest barrier to scaling AI isn't technology or employees, it's leaders not moving fast enough.
My advice?
Leaders must act now to educate themselves and their teams about AI's capabilities and limitations. Craft a clear AI strategy and invest in the talent and infrastructure to implement it. Start by assessing organizational AI readiness by evaluating skills, data assets, and processes—and then embed AI capability-building into your core business strategy.
Include upskilling the workforce and instituting governance for ethical AI use. Executives need to make AI adoption and innovation a top strategic priority. Put it on par with finance or operations.
Bold action today will separate tomorrow's winners from losers. The history of technological revolutions shows that moments like this define the rise and fall of companies. The AI revolution is no different.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Is Investing in the Nasdaq-100 a No-Brainer Move?
Key Points The Nasdaq-100 index features the top growth stocks in the world, and tracking it has resulted in significant returns for long-term investors. Since the tariff pause back in April, both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 have soared more than 25%. Heightened valuations, however, could mean more limited returns in the short term. 10 stocks we like better than Invesco QQQ Trust › Investing in the top growth stocks on the Nasdaq stock exchange has generally been a good move for investors. And by tracking the Nasdaq-100, an index of the most valuable nonfinancial stocks on the exchange, investors can easily get exposure to the best and brightest growth stocks. But with valuations soaring this year and the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 index hitting record levels, is it still a no-brainer option to invest in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the Nasdaq-100? Or is now the time to shift away from the index and perhaps pivot into safer investments? Why investing in the Nasdaq-100 makes sense for long-term investors If you're a long-term investor who just wants to add an ETF to your portfolio that you can forget about, the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) can be a compelling option. It tracks the Nasdaq-100, and in just the past five years it has more than doubled in value and outperformed the overall market. Since the ETF tracks an index of top stocks, it means that you don't have to worry about keeping tabs on how individual stocks are doing; the Nasdaq-100 will automatically adjust and add companies that are rising in value while also dropping ones which are no longer among the top 100. This strategy can make the ETF a good no-nonsense means of investing in many of the best growth stocks in the world. There's simply not much of a substitute for investing in growth stocks. While safer options can result in less volatility in a given year, you're likely to perform far better by targeting the fastest-growing companies in the world. Over the past decade, the S&P 500 has generated total returns (including dividends) of more than 260%. While that's impressive, the Invesco QQQ Trust is up by over 450% over that same period. It has been the better investment by far. Should you be worried about the market being at record levels? One reason you might be thinking twice about investing in growth stocks or tracking the Nasdaq-100 index right now is that stocks are around record levels. Both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 have hit record highs this year, despite question marks looming about what's ahead for the economy. Since April 8, which is around the time "reciprocal tariffs" were paused, the S&P 500 has rallied by nearly 30% while the Nasdaq is up close to 40%. There has been a lot of economic volatility, and there is definitely the danger that if investors become concerned about tariffs, stocks could be headed back to the lows they reached in April. I certainly wouldn't rule out a potential decline in the market in the near future, and this is a risk for investors to consider, especially in light of how hot stocks have been in recent months. Is it still a good time to invest in the Nasdaq-100? If you're investing for the long term, i.e., five years or more, then it can still be a good option to invest in a fund such as the Invesco QQQ Trust. There is always going to be risk and uncertainty when you have exposure to growth stocks, particularly tech growth stocks, where valuations can become enormous. However, even if there is a bad year for the markets in the near future, it's likely to recover, just as it always has. As long as the U.S. economy continues to grow, the S&P 500 is likely to rise in value as well. And with the Nasdaq-100 focused on growth, it may continue to outperform. If your investing time frame is shorter than five years, then it may be a good idea to focus on safer stocks to preserve your capital or even to put money into bonds. But if you're in it for the long haul, then it can still be a no-brainer move to invest in the Nasdaq-100. Should you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust right now? Before you buy stock in Invesco QQQ Trust, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Invesco QQQ Trust wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $624,823!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,820!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,019% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is Investing in the Nasdaq-100 a No-Brainer Move? was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LinkedIn Highlights Reach and Promotional Potential for Brands [Infographic]
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. LinkedIn continues to grow, with the platform recently reporting that it's now up to 1.2 billion members worldwide. And with the professional social network also seeing record levels of engagement, it now presents a significant opportunity to reach business audiences, and promote your products, in all new ways. Well, all new ways for LinkedIn. Video is the star of the moment for the app, with videos now 20x more likely to be shared in the app, while video content also generates 1.4x more engagement than other post types. And with so many B2B decision makers now active in the app, and present in-feed, there are many more ways in which you can get your messaging in front of them, which could help to boost your sales potential. To highlight the opportunity, LinkedIn has published a new overview of its reach and ad potential, which we've extrapolated into this infographic for easy consumption. Worth considering in your social media marketing approach.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Japan PM Says Win-Win Trade Deal With US May Be Hard to Implement
(Bloomberg) -- The trade deal reached last month between the US and Japan was 'win-win' for both countries, but implementing the terms of the pact may be a bigger challenge than reaching the deal, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said. We Should All Be Biking Along the Beach Seeking Relief From Heat and Smog, Cities Follow the Wind Chicago Curbs Hiring, Travel to Tackle $1 Billion Budget Hole NYC Mayor Adams Gives Bally's Bronx Casino Plan a Second Chance 'Some say that carrying the trade deal out is harder than agreeing on it. I humbly seek your continued support on this,' Ishiba said Monday in response to questions in parliament. At the same session of parliament, Japan's chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa acknowledged criticism over the lack of having anything in writing. 'It's my understanding having something on paper would be helpful,' Akazawa said, adding that there's also nothing in writing related to Washington's deals with the EU and South Korea. The comments underscore the vast uncertainties related to the raft of global trade deals even after a deadline for higher tariffs was reached Aug. 1. Washington agreed to assess a 15% across-the-board levy on imports from Japan, a lower rate than the previously threatened 25%. The fate of auto tariffs is still unclear. Ishiba, under pressure after last month's setback in the upper house election, has vowed to stay on as premier in order to ensure the trade deal is fully implemented. A few days after the election, Ishiba secured the surprise trade deal that delivered relatively better results to Japan compared with other nations. The car tariffs, currently at 27.5% including a pre-existing 2.5% rate, have delivered a major blow to the Japanese economy as the sector is the biggest source of exports to the US and accounts for roughly 10% of economic output. How Podcast-Obsessed Tech Investors Made a New Media Industry Russia Builds a New Web Around Kremlin's Handpicked Super App Everyone Loves to Hate Wind Power. Scotland Found a Way to Make It Pay Off What's Really Behind Those Rosy GDP Numbers? Cage-Free Eggs Are Booming in the US, Despite Cost and Trump's Efforts ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
