How to succeed with AI in 2025?
Machiavelli’s Playbook for AI Success. Fortune Favors the Bold and Prepared.
As we bid farewell to 2024, let’s reflect on one of Niccolò Machiavelli’s enduring insights from The Prince. Machiavelli likened Fortuna — fortune or luck — to a river: unpredictable and overwhelming if left unchecked, but manageable by those who build dikes and embankments in advance. His lesson is clear: success belongs to those who prepare, adapt, and act decisively when opportunities arise.
In the world of AI, this wisdom is timeless. Predictions about the future often become distractions, pulling our focus away from what we can control. Success doesn’t come from trying to guess what’s next but from preparing for it. As we step into 2025, here are four key investments to ensure you’re ready when fortune strikes:
Invest in Learning and Education
AI success is 90% about people and 10% about technology. Innovation and value creation happen when people actually know how to use AI and understand also limits. Equip your employees with the skills and mindset to explore AI’s possibilities. Build literacy, foster curiosity, and create a culture of experimentation. Without this foundation, even the best AI tools will underdeliver.
Invest in Data Quality and Governance. Seriously.
Companies are rightfully investing in cybersecurity and other infrastructure to secure their most valuable asset: data. Yet, for some reason, investing in the quality of that same data — so feverishly protected — feels much harder. Data riddled with errors, biases, or gaps is a barrier to AI success. Remember: data is also about people first. It takes collaboration, clear ownership, and governance to transform data into a reliable foundation for AI. Fortuna dislikes weak foundations — secure your data and make it high-quality.
Invest in Bold Experiments to Build Your Future
Use AI not just to optimize, but to rethink and transform your core business in innovative ways. Fortuna smiles on those who act with audacity and purpose. Exploring also means that you have capabilities to evaluate and estimate latest developments in AI and how they impact on your use cases. Think big, experiment boldly, and dare to explore uncharted territory.
Scale Your AI Efforts to Create Business as Unusual
Successful AI isn’t just about experimenting — it’s about moving experiments into business at scale. Aim to scale at least 2–3 of your most impactful initiatives. Done right, AI should make your business “unusual” — a step ahead, more innovative, and closer to your customers and creating more value.
Predictions may grab attention, but they often lead us astray. Instead, focus on what’s within your control. As we prepare for 2025, let’s channel Machiavelli’s wisdom: Strengthen the foundations and shape the conditions for success. AI success isn’t about waiting for the right moment — it’s about preparing for it, creating it, and turning it into lasting impact.
