In Order To Last, Should CIOs Adopt AI-First?
CIO, Wednesday, October 1st, 2025
Most companies are slowly yet deliberately adding AI to improve business operations, building on the systems, people, and customers they already have. AI-first companies, however, rip up that script and rethink everything. It's the riskiest approach, but one with extraordinary potential.
At the dawn of the internet age, it made no sense for a video rental company to pay $50 million to acquire an online startup. People wanted their videos now, not three days later by mail. And they wanted the top titles, not some limited selection of obscure art films. The internet then was still slow, unsafe, unreliable, and plagued by copyright infringement issues.
They made the right business decision, but it cost them the company. They weren't alone either. Many retailers, publishers, travel agencies, map companies, and video arcades closed their doors, unable to compete in the new reality.