Stephen Messer Warns Companies Against the AI Shuffle

Stephen Messer, co-founder of Collective[i] and Intelligence.com, asserts that most organizations are failing to achieve true AI transformation. He describes a common failure known as the AI Shuffle, where companies merely add AI tools to existing, inefficient workflows instead of redesigning them.

Messer contends that becoming an AI-first company requires a strategy of subtraction. He argues that organizations must delete unnecessary processes and management layers rather than automating flawed systems. According to Messer, durable competitive advantage will not stem from AI models, which he views as becoming commoditized, but from the orchestration layer that connects proprietary data and market feedback to intelligence.

He warns that leaders who prioritize risk avoidance over capability creation will be overtaken by builders. These competitors, he claims, will use technology to solve real business problems and move decision-making closer to the customer.