What happens if your customers adopt AI before you do?

A recent British Chambers of Commerce study revealed that 43% of companies have no plans to implement AI.

That number shocks me - not because AI adoption is easy, but because it shows how many leaders still see AI as a purely INTERNAL decision.

But no business operates in a vacuum.

If a key customer embraces AI first, your timelines are no longer your own. You may suddenly be forced to match their speed, expectations, and ways of working - whether you’re ready or not.

That’s when the panic starts.

Rushed AI rollouts. Little time to consider governance, ethics, compliance, or cyber security. Legacy systems hastily automated instead of processes being redesigned for the future. Costs spiral, mistakes multiply, and trust erodes.

Doing nothing or drifting without a plan is arguably the highest-risk choice you can make right now.

AI implementation requires planning, so that you can position your business so you’re not reacting at the last minute to changes your customers or competitors have already made.

The best time to start? Before you’re forced to.