Is Artificial Intelligence a Tool or a Competitor?

Teams are shrinking. Expectations are growing. And artificial intelligence is no longer a future trend, it’s here.

In my latest monthly column for the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger I explore how AI is reshaping what small teams (and even individuals) can achieve. What once required departments now happens at the hands of one person, equipped with the right mindset and the right tools.

But this isn’t a story about technology. It’s a story about choice. About how we lead. How we work. And how we respond when the rules of the game change. Fast.

This is a column about clarity, courage, and the quiet power of using AI not to replace people, but to amplify what they’re capable of.

Will we treat it as a lever or fear it as a threat? The answer, as always, lies with us.

The other day, my colleague Philip and I were having dinner with some clients. As we talked about various topics, we realized something: entire teams on the client’s side are represented by just one person on ours, supported by artificial intelligence.

When the client talks about their media production team, that’s Selda for us. When they mention their learning management team, that’s Janet. And in many cases, these one-person teams deliver the same output as entire departments, because they know how to use AI deliberately and confidently.

And we’re not alone. Many knowledge workers are experiencing just how productive they can be with the right AI tools. Developers write better code in less time. Marketing teams design campaign concepts in hours instead of days. HR departments write job postings, create training plans, or evaluate applications, supported by digital assistants.

What used to be unthinkable is now reality: small teams are shedding their limitations, they scale. And they keep their strengths. Less coordination. More ownership. Faster decisions. Clearer communication.

In the past, small teams were often like speedboats: agile, fast, efficient, but not built for long distances. They lacked structure, staying power, and sometimes the leverage to tackle large projects. That’s changed. Artificial intelligence gives them exactly that: reach, depth, stability. What once required significant resources can now be handled with smart tools.

And that changes everything.

Of course, AI doesn’t replace humans. But it shifts the playing field. Today, someone working solo, with the right tools and skills, can take on tasks that used to require whole teams. And often do them better.

This shift is no reason to panic. On the contrary: it’s an invitation. An invitation for every organization to ask itself two questions:

First: How can we use AI to improve our existing business?

Second: What can we create with it that wasn’t possible before?

Maybe it’s a market you haven’t been able to serve until now. Maybe it’s a product you never had the capacity to develop. Or maybe it’s simply the chance to work faster and more customer-focused, without hiring additional staff.

These questions aren’t just relevant for startups. Midsize companies and large corporations are at a turning point too. Those who continue to plan, approve, and delegate in the traditional way are losing speed. Those who give small teams real responsibility, supported by AI, increase their impact.

Whether artificial intelligence becomes a tool or a competitor is not up to the algorithms, it’s up to us.

Those who use it to relieve people, strengthen skills, and build something new turn it into a lever. Those who let fear guide them or focus only on cutting costs hand the progress over to others.

That’s why we need both now: leaders who think in possibilities, not just in savings. And employees who want to shape the future, instead of seeing themselves as victims of change.

Because artificial intelligence does not replace people. But it does change what we’re capable of, if we let it. Human + AI = Magic.

Tool or competitor? The answer is up to us.

From Nothing Comes Nothing