The AI Paradox: Why 90% of Executives Fail to See Results From AI

The AI race is underway, yet most companies are running blind, deploying technology without a clear path to value. In our new report, AI: Unlocking Genuine Customer Value, we expose a critical truth: while 75% of companies have adopted AI, only a select 10% are leveraging its true superpower. Most leaders are missing AI’s real potential, focusing on short-term productivity gains and minor operational tweaks—overlooking AI’s unique strength to reinvent customer interactions and, in doing so, drive lasting business impact.

If you see AI merely as a tool for efficiency, you’re already behind. The real advantage of AI lies in its superpower of duality—its ability to create meaningful, lasting value for both customers and the business. Our research shows how the few who understand this superpower are redefining their markets—and how others can join them.

The Reality Check: Adoption Without Purpose

Most leaders today are caught up in the idea that simply “doing AI” equates to progress and feel they must follow the hype. They measure success by the number of activities they can automate or the productivity they can boost. But these superficial wins barely scratch the surface of what AI can do for businesses and brands. Only 10% of businesses today are using AI to reimagine their core processes, create new demand, or capture new revenue opportunities. The rest are stuck in a loop of incremental improvements, deploying AI to shave a few minutes off a process here or cut some costs there—entirely missing the strategic potential of AI.

Why does this matter? Because when AI is only used to drive productivity, it reinforces “sameness” in the market. It’s a race to efficiency without differentiation. The competitive advantage of AI isn’t about getting faster or cheaper. It’s about identifying what truly matters to customers today and anticipating their needs for tomorrow. It’s about building deeper, more valuable customer interactions, creating lasting connections, and delivering genuine customer value. And most leaders are completely missing this. They’re seeing AI as a hammer when it could be the most important toolkit for reinvention.

The AI Superpower of Duality: Why Only 10% of Leaders Get It Right

So, what distinguishes the top 10%? These leaders have moved beyond thinking of AI as just a tool for efficiency. They don’t just “adopt” AI; they strategically deploy AI programs to create dual value, driving both customer value and real business growth in one cycle. They recognize that real impact lies in placing the customer and demand at the core of their AI roadmap, using AI to reimagine core interactions, anticipate new demands, and adapt to changing behaviors and expectations. These companies build and connect cycles of customer interactions in the context of their customers’ lives, strengthening their brand, enhancing their value proposition, and staying ahead of competitors.

Our report showcases how these leaders think differently and offers practical considerations to bring to your company. They’re using AI to power intelligence, capture demand, and enhance every core interaction, not just for efficiency but for genuine value to the customer and lasting brand relevance. They’re aligning their AI efforts around the customer and ensuring that every interaction isn’t just optimized but meaningful. When AI champions think about value, they think first of the customer—knowing that business value will follow. This is the superpower of AI duality, and it’s what separates market leaders from the rest.

The Roadblocks Most Leaders Face: Fragmented, Short-Sighted AI Efforts

For the remaining 90%, AI remains trapped in pilot projects, experimental tools, and isolated initiatives. Cultural resistance, lack of alignment, and fragmented vision stall progress. Leaders often treat AI as an IT project or a new set of tools, rather than a fundamental strategy for brand and business growth. The result? Fragmented efforts that barely make a dent in team efficiency, customer perception, or brand strength.

What’s even more alarming is that 86% of businesses face cultural barriers to AI adoption, with nearly half admitting they lack the talent and resources to fully commit to AI’s promise. Competing priorities and resistance to change become the default excuses. The outcome? Leaders find themselves with yet another underutilized technology, while competitors leverage AI for new products, new models, and unforgettable customer value.

The Vivaldi AI Playbook: Your Roadmap to Reinvention

Our study offers a pathway out of this cycle of missed potential. The Vivaldi AI Playbook isn’t just another AI-for-efficiency guide—it’s a call to action for leaders ready to reimagine what AI can do for their business and brands. This is where real value creation begins, by using AI to design meaningful interactions, anticipate customer needs, and create customer systems that adapt in real-time. This dual-value approach enables leaders to build demand-centric AI programs that don’t just serve today’s business needs but redefine them, delivering lasting outcomes for the business and for the customer.

The playbook guides you through three levels of AI deployment, from enhancing tasks and productivity to transforming entire processes and, ultimately, to creating intelligent, interconnected customer networks. Only 10% of businesses have reached this highest level, but those who do are seeing competitive advantages that others can’t easily replicate. By leveraging AI at each of these levels, leaders can move beyond automation and turn AI into a brand and business differentiator.

A Wake-Up Call for Brand and Business Leaders

If your AI strategy isn’t driving customer value and business reinvention in tandem, it’s time for a change. Our report shows that only a handful of leaders are building AI strategies with a holistic view, placing the customer and genuine value creation at the center of each decision. These are the companies that have broken away from incremental gains, using AI as a multiplier of dual value that scales with each valuable customer interaction.

AI: Unlocking Genuine Customer Value is your guide to making that shift. It’s a roadmap for leaders ready to do more than just automate—it’s for those who want to build deep customer relationships and, in the process, create a resilient brand that stands out. In an era where customers expect more, disruptors are abundant, and competition is fierce, it’s the companies that understand the AI superpower of duality that will capture the real value and competitive advantage.