The AI Parallel: 2024's Strategic Crossroads

Right now, companies are doing with AI exactly what VW did with software.

They're treating AI as a vendor problem. They're waiting for system integrators to build AI capabilities for them. They're hiring McKinsey to write an "AI strategy" deck. They're bringing in Accenture to implement AI solutions. They're outsourcing the thinking before they understand what they're thinking about.

This pattern isn't unique to automotive. We're seeing it across retail, financial services, manufacturing, and beyond. The same companies that spent the last two decades struggling to catch up on software are now making the same choice with AI.

The logic feels safe: AI is uncertain, complex, and changing fast. Better to let the experts handle it. Isn't that what consultants are for?

Here's the problem: there are no experts yet. AI, in its current form, is three years old. Large language models became mainstream in late 2022. Agentic AI is even younger. The consultants positioning themselves as experts have maybe six months more experience than you do. They're learning on your dime.

The saying fits perfectly: "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." That's what system integrators are doing right now. They're positioning themselves as experts in a space where no one has mastery yet.

And just like with software, the real risk isn't falling behind on a specific technology. The risk is dependency. Once you outsource AI strategy and implementation, you create a structural gap. Your people stop learning. Your organization stops building the muscle memory to experiment, fail, iterate, and improve. You become reliant on external partners to make decisions about your core business.

Worse, you're not building AI literacy across your workforce. And AI literacy is foundational - like learning to read, or learning to use Microsoft Office. It's not a specialized technical skill. It's a basic capability that every employee needs to do their job better, faster, and more effectively.

This is the AI dependency trap. And it's happening right now, in real time, across industries.