The High-Impact AI Wins You’re Probably Overlooking

Execs ask me how AI will change the future. I tell them: start with the parts of your business you avoid today.

Self-driving innovations, breakthrough forecasting, or personalized CX at scale.

Yes, they are important.

But after 13+ years of deploying AI across Fortune 100s, I’ve learned something surprising:

Some of the highest ROI from AI comes from the least glamorous parts of the business.

The stuff no one wants to touch. The tasks we ignore because they’re too tedious, too messy, or just too “back office.”

Let me show you two examples where AI quietly drives game-changing value without the hype.

Every Friday morning, I deliver 1 actionable insight to help you navigate the post-AI landscape, simplifying complex transitions into a clear path for business impact. You can click here to subscribe.

1. Data Cleansing: The Workhorse Behind the Wins

Imagine this: your CRM system lists "Coca-Cola" in ten different ways. Or "Robert Smith" is also logged as "Dick Smith" and "R. Smith" - all with the same birthdate but different emails.

Multiply that across millions of records… and you’ve got chaos.

It's a mess. And it’s costing you.

So, enter machine learning.

AI doesn’t just flag duplicates, it understands patterns, matches inconsistencies, and reconciles mismatched identities. It turns scattered, inaccurate data into a clean, unified source of truth.

It may not sound like a flashy breakthrough. But it’s what powers faster decisions, smarter analytics, and better business outcomes.

Clean data is your silent growth driver.

2. Building the Semantic Layer: Aligning the Business

Here’s where AI gets strategic.

Every BI project hits a wall when different regions or departments can’t agree on how to define a metric like “net sales.” Everyone speaks a different language, figuratively and sometimes literally.

By applying AI to create a semantic layer, you remove subjectivity.

AI helps reconcile these differences by analyzing patterns, contexts, and definitions across systems. So you can align KPIs across 8 regions and 32 channels without endless back-and-forth.

Suddenly, conversations that were once debates become decisions.

The best AI applications aren’t always flashy. They’re foundational.

While others chase shiny tools, the smartest organizations are solving root problems while building trust in their data and consistency in their decisions.

And that’s what truly sets them up to win.

Because when the basics are strong, every AI initiative, no matter how bold, has a better chance of success.

Where has AI delivered unexpected value in your organization?

Until then, 

Sol

Every Friday morning, I deliver 1 actionable insight to help you navigate the post-AI landscape, simplifying complex transitions into a clear path for business impact. You can click here to subscribe.