A Battle Cry for Original Intelligence

Most companies are not getting the return they expected from AI. A recent report from MIT noted that 95 percent of organizations see no measurable ROI from their generative AI investments.

Here is why. The race for efficiency has left many firms drowning in sameness. Generative AI is a machine for conformity. Generative models predict the next most probable token. GPT doesn’t think. It averages. It predicts the next likely word based on what most people would write, believe, or do. They complete groupthink patterns. They do not create intent. They do not hold a point of view. When teams feed the same models the same prompts, outputs converge. Convergence produces polished sameness. Polished sameness feels safe. It does not win.

True value comes from outsiders who resist groupthink and push beyond the idea space. Einstein rewrote physics from a patent desk, not a committee. Curie refined radium in a shed, not a boardroom. Tesla worked alone whil...

Everyone’s shouting that AI will either “replace” us or “empower” us. That kind of thinking shows a lack of original thought. The issue isn’t whether AI is coming for boutique consultants, because it is. The real issue is that many boutique consultants see AI as just a tool. They don't view it as a partner in transformation.

Clients have realized that ChatGPT can handle 80% of the work that consultants used to charge $15K for. And when it comes to getting help fast and free, they would rather do it themselves. It's easier and faster to put a prompt into AI than to send you an email.

Microsoft’s recent Work Trend Index showed what most consultants are still denying.

Generative AI is taking on full work tasks across many industries and showing real success. That’s not a prediction. This is happening now. Your clients draft go-to-market plans with a single prompt. They generate SWOT analyses, persona decks, and training outlines in seconds.

Microsoft analyzed 200,000 U.S.-based Copilo...