Leading Strategically In The Age Of AI

We’re standing on the edge of a new era where artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just a tool but a teammate. Last week, in Austin, a Waymo autonomous vehicle showed up as my Uber driver. I was so excited!

The future is here.

In a recent round table discussion I participated in on AI, one message echoed from every corner: Many companies are dabbling in AI, but they do not have a strategic approach.

Instead, in private companies, most people avoid using AI or partially use it, while others chase the latest shiny object. Frequently, there is no strategic framework or selection criteria to inform decision-making. This includes not considering data security or privacy.

One of the greatest challenges is that AI tool life cycles are much faster than those of software-as-a-service applications like ERPs and accounting systems. New tools pop up in an already crowded environment and become obsolete in the same year.

The bigger problem is the future of human team members. Determining the skills and characteristics they need in an AI-enabled world is a mystery.

Furthermore, AI isn’t just isolated software. Artificial intelligence is the brain behind converging technologies—robotics, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, Web3, and more. Each of these technologies is disruptive on its own, but together, they are redefining how we live and work.

As a result, most private companies do not know where to start when using AI and related technologies. These companies are ad hoc, deploy tactics, and some are reckless.

We need a strategic approach to Artificial Intelligence.

My Vision for AI

Every employee will have an AI Buddy Mothership—an intelligent, always-learning system embedded with company and functional know-how. That Buddy will orchestrate a team of AI agent employees, each specialized in delivering key outcomes, from cash flow forecasting to customer growth strategy. The human role? To guide, refine, and carry those insights forward with judgment and empathy.

Beyond employee team members, your AI Agents collaborate with other AI Agents and know when to loop the human in. Business will move at machine-to-machine speed.

This will eliminate and elevate human work.

Create Your Strategic Framework

1. AI-Skilled Human: Proactively define the skills and characteristics your employees need now and five years from now, and then develop and recruit based on this.
2. AI Buddy: Create the mothership of know-how and culture that leans from use.
3. AI Agent Teammates: Build agents that perform tasks in specific focus areas for each function in your business, versus generalists.
4. Machine-to-Machine Integration: With robotics, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, Web3, etc, include an audit trail/logging portal to review what the integration processes do to ensure accuracy.

Why Now

Those who direct AI to achieve outcomes—and help others benefit from those outcomes—will rise. Everyone else risks being commoditized by the power of intelligent computing.

For status quo businesses, this means not having what customers want, slower delivery, pricing pressure, and diminishing margins.

For CEO owners, this means less household income and a smaller business valuation for that second payday at succession.

Collaborate with Peers

My Growth CFO journey is all about helping business owners achieve prosperity. As a result, our CFOs are strategic partners, working side-by-side with operational peers to drive success.

Artificial intelligence is one of the most disruptive technologies redefining how our clients work and the finance and accounting function.

The idea of developing the right AI strategy alone is unlikely. The technology is simply evolving too fast and will continue to do so over the next decade at least. In addition, there are many paradigm shifts between here and our destination.

We need each other, so I formed the “Using AI Effectively with Kirk” group to collaborate on WhatsApp and hold round-table discussions on Zoom.