The AI Reality Check: Why 92% of Companies are Getting It Wrong
Your competitors are making these 3 AI mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Here's the truth about AI adoption that nobody talks about: 92% of companies plan to increase their AI investment, yet only 1% believe they've reached full maturity.
The gap is mental.
Most businesses chase the shiny stuff whilst ignoring the simple opportunities right under their noses. They're building chatbots when they should be automating their invoicing. They're exploring custom AI when they can't even sort their email properly.
The thing is, AI success isn't about being clever. It's about being practical.
The Three AI Opportunity Areas Every Business Misses
1. Repetitive Low-Value Tasks (The "Anti-To-Do List" Concept)
Most businesses focus on flashy AI implementations whilst ignoring the simple stuff that wastes time every day.
Here's a different approach: create an "anti-to-do list" - everything you never want to do manually again.
I am sure you probably spend time each week:
Copying data between systems
Writing similar emails over and over
Creating reports from the same data sources
Scheduling meetings back and forth
Chasing invoices
Updating spreadsheets with routine information
These aren't exciting. They don't make for great case studies. But they drain your energy and cost you money.
The beauty of an anti-to-do list is it forces you to think small. Instead of asking "How can AI transform our business?", you ask "What boring stuff do we do that a computer could handle?"
Much more useful question.
2. Skill Bottlenecks (When Work Stalls Waiting for Expertise)
Work stops when you need someone with specific skills who isn't available. The designer's on holiday. The copywriter's swamped. The analyst is in meetings all day.
AI bridges these gaps, letting teams move faster without waiting for specialists.
I'm not suggesting AI replaces experts - it doesn't. But it can handle the 80% of work that doesn't need their full attention. The designer still creates your brand guidelines, but AI can resize logos for different platforms. The copywriter still crafts your messaging, but AI can adapt it for different channels.
This is about flow, not replacement. When someone's stuck, they have options. When bottlenecks appear, there's a way through.
3. Navigating Ambiguity (Getting Unstuck When You Don't Know Where to Start)
Stuck on where to begin with a project? Brainstorming campaign ideas? Analysing market trends? AI kicks off thinking when the path isn't clear.
The best use isn't getting AI to do the work - it's getting AI to help you think about the work.
"Here's our situation... what approaches might work?" "These are our constraints... what options do we have?" "This is what we're trying to achieve... where should we focus first?"
AI won't give you the perfect answer, but it'll give you somewhere to start. And starting is often the hardest part.
The 10/80/10 Framework Applied
Here's how this looks in practice:
10% human input: Identify your biggest time drains. Look at last week - what tasks made you think "there has to be a better way"?
80% AI execution: Let AI handle the grunt work. The data entry, the first drafts, the routine analysis, the scheduling, the follow-ups.
10% human refinement: Add your expertise and judgement. Review outputs, make strategic decisions, handle the nuanced stuff that matters.
The magic happens when you realise most work is actually quite routine. The creative bit - the strategy, the relationships, the decisions - that's still yours. But all the mechanical stuff around it? That's perfect for automation.
Your Task This Week
Audit your daily tasks using these three categories:
Anti-to-do list: What repetitive tasks eat up your time?
Skill bottlenecks: Where does work get stuck waiting for specific expertise?
Ambiguous starts: What projects stall because you don't know where to begin?
Ask yourself: "What would I put on my anti-to-do list?"
Write it down. Every boring, repetitive, soul-crushing task that you wish would just handle itself.
That's your roadmap.
Don't overcomplicate this. The companies winning with AI aren't the ones with the fanciest implementations. They're the ones solving real problems with practical solutions.
Ben
P.S. The 1% of companies that feel they've reached AI maturity? They started exactly where I'm suggesting you start - with the boring stuff that nobody else wanted to automate.