A lot of us are quietly wondering the same thing: Is AI about to reshape the ground under our feet?
The question isn’t really if, it’s how soon, and what signs should we be paying attention to.
Lately, I’ve been spending time with some strong strategy material on this, one that stood out is TechIsland’s guide on AI disruption.
It lays out a surprisingly practical lens for spotting early shifts:
- Data-rich environments tend to see AI adoption first, think finance, media, or healthcare.
- Rule-based decisions (underwriting, diagnostics, routing) are increasingly handled by AI.
- Standardized customer interactions are getting redefined by conversational AI.
But one signal really stuck with me: when startups in your field start pulling in AI engineers and launching faster than incumbents can keep pace, that’s when the real change begins.
It raised a few self-checks I’ve been sitting with:
- Could 50% of your team’s weekly workflows be automated?
- Are your customer interactions still “good enough” in a world of AI-enhanced experiences?
- Do you have structured data ready to support experimentation?
Disruption isn’t usually loud at first. It’s small improvements, repeated often, that quietly change the landscape. The businesses that stay resilient are the ones that start early, experiment thoughtfully, and build capabilities before they’re urgent.
One mindset that’s helped: Start with one repeatable workflow. Run a 90-day pilot. Measure what matters. Most importantly, treat it as infrastructure, not a trend.
