How the Best Companies Use AI

2026-04-20 · Source: The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News · Field: Business & Management — Corporate Strategy & Leadership, Operations & Process Management, Project & Product Management · Depth: Intermediate, extended

Summary

Leading companies are fundamentally rethinking AI adoption, moving beyond mere productivity gains to focus on growth and business model reinvention. A PWC study revealed that 75% of AI's economic benefits are captured by just 20% of companies, which are two to three times more likely to use AI for growth opportunities and 2.6 times more likely to reinvent their business models. McKinsey's "AI Transformation Manifesto" identifies 12 themes separating AI leaders from laggards, emphasizing that technology alone doesn't create advantage; enduring capabilities and strategic investment in AI platforms as assets do. Companies like RAMP are building internal AI systems, such as "Glass," to provide every employee with a fully configured AI workspace, integrating tools, sharing reusable skills, and incorporating persistent memory and scheduled automations. This approach aims to make every employee an AI power user, fostering institutional AI rather than just aggregating individual AI impacts.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and AI Architects evaluating enterprise AI strategy, recognize that AI's true value lies in driving business model transformation and growth, not just efficiency. Prioritize building robust internal AI platforms that integrate organizational context and empower every employee as an AI power user. This approach, exemplified by companies like RAMP, creates a competitive moat and accelerates skill development, ensuring your organization can compound advantages competitors cannot match.

Key insights

Leading companies leverage AI for business model transformation and growth, not just efficiency.

Principles

• Technology alone doesn't create advantage; enduring capabilities do.
• Focus AI efforts on economic leverage points for maximum impact.
• Internal productivity is a strategic moat, not an outsourced function.

Method

Build internal AI platforms that integrate organizational context, enable skill sharing, and provide personalized, persistent AI workspaces to empower all employees as "AI power users."

In practice

• Develop internal AI systems like RAMP's "Glass" for company-wide AI enablement.
• Integrate all company tools and data into a unified AI workspace.
• Create a marketplace for sharing AI skills and workflows among employees.

Topics

• AI Business Transformation
• Economic Leverage Points
• Institutional AI
• Agentic Engineering
• Internal AI Infrastructure

Best for: CTO, Executive, AI Architect, Director of AI/ML, VP of Engineering/Data, Consultant

Related on AIssential

• How the Best Companies Use AI — Leading companies treat AI as a growth engine, building institutional systems that empower all employees, not just individual users.
• Companies Are Using AI for Efficiency. They Should Use It to Grow. — Executive focus on AI for efficiency is misguided; AI should drive growth.
• Competitive Business Leaders Need Clear AI Vision to Break the Ceiling of Innovation - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM IBM — True AI leadership transcends efficiency, focusing on strategic differentiation to redefine competitive advantage.
• Work in the Age of Infinite Agents — AI agents will fundamentally reshape knowledge work by enabling unprecedented scale and democratizing complex tasks.
• AI is becoming the new enterprise interface: shaping customer discovery, shopping, service, surveillance, and internal workflows, often through platforms companies do not fully control. — AI is transitioning from a free experimental tool to a costly, regulated, and strategically critical enterprise interface.
• Why Airbnb and its Leadership are Betting Big on AI — AI is a fundamental transformation driving self-disruption and competitive advantage, not just marginal gains.

Open in AIssential →

Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News.