How AI is changing expectations in business

As I reflect on the conversations I have with leaders who ask, “how can I use AI in my business”, I am convinced that the real shift we are experiencing is not technological. It is behavioural, strategic and deeply commercial. AI is changing the expectations clients place on their partners, and it is exposing weak thinking where vague promises once went unchallenged.

Clients no longer struggle to understand what AI might offer. Instead, they struggle with the advice they receive. Too many discussions revolve around broad notions of transformation without clearly stating what will improve in practice. Are we talking about higher margins, faster processes, stronger resilience or better competitive positioning? Ambiguity was unhelpful before AI. Today, it is unacceptable. The question I hear repeatedly is simple and pointed: how can I use AI in my business in a way that genuinely matters?

Why the real challenge is decision making, not technology

As AI reduces execution barriers and software becomes easier to deploy, value no longer sits in building complex solutions. The real challenge now lies in judgement. What should be automated? What should remain unchanged? Where does AI create meaningful value rather than additional noise?

Many leaders may not phrase it this way, but they feel the shift instinctively. The discussion must move away from showcasing what is possible and towards identifying what is necessary and commercially sound

Restraint, simplicity and disciplined use of AI

Not every process improves simply because AI touches it. Extra dashboards, new models and more outputs can create clutter rather than clarity. When clients ask me how they can use AI in their business, I emphasise restraint as much as innovation.

Serving clients well now means simplifying where appropriate, challenging inherited logic and focusing on decisions that actually improve business outcomes. This can create discomfort in organisations used to constant acceleration, but it is precisely what this environment demands.

Connecting AI to profitability and commercial outcomes

There is also a long-standing reluctance in parts of the technology sector to talk directly about profitability. Innovation is celebrated. Enablement is praised. Yet the essential questions remain.

What costs change as a result?
Does revenue quality improve?
What risk is materially reduced?

AI is not implemented to appear forward-thinking. It is deployed because market pressure, margin compression and evolving realities make it necessary.

The businesses that ask how can I use AI in my business are, in truth, asking how to connect technology to economic outcomes with discipline and confidence.

Serving clients well now means simplifying where appropriate, challenging inherited logic and focusing on decisions that actually improve business outcomes. This can create discomfort in organisations used to constant acceleration, but it is precisely what this environment demands.

Why ROI and focus now matter more than innovation theatre

Recent developments across the technology industry reinforce this shift. Major AI players have demonstrated stronger focus on return on investment, trimming initiatives that do not contribute clearly to profitability or market leadership.

Ambition remains, but discipline has increased. This reinforces a principle I have held for some time: even at scale, AI requires clear justification and thoughtful prioritisation.

Our approach at Spyrosoft: Acting as decision partners

At Spyrosoft, our response to this reality is intentional. We are not simply delivering AI solutions. We are acting as decision partners.

When clients ask how they can use AI in their business, our role is to help identify where it truly adds value, where processes should be simplified and where profitable growth can be strengthened. Every initiative is grounded in measurable outcomes rather than theoretical potential.

AI as a long-term capability, not a short-term experiment

The organisations that succeed over the long term are those that use AI to enhance learning, judgement and resource allocation. AI becomes part of how the business understands itself, improves decisions and strengthens strategic positioning over time.

Real value is rarely about quick gains. It comes from patient, contextual understanding of how value is created, and from applying AI in ways that support that reality.

Thoughtful leadership in the AI era

The real shift in this era is not about being louder or faster. It is about being more thoughtful. Technology partners must move from selling possibilities to enabling outcomes, from showcasing tools to guiding stronger decisions, and from delivering more systems to improving strategic clarity.

The true leaders will not be those who adopt AI first, but those who answer the question how can I use AI in my business with purpose, discipline and commercial relevance.

At Spyrosoft or myself as a CTO advisor, we see our growth and our clients’ success as fundamentally aligned. By anticipating needs, challenging assumptions and focusing on measurable value, we position ourselves not only as providers of AI capability, but as strategic partners for the long term.