AI Adoption Strategy, Part 1: Why AI Adoption is a Race to the Top (Not the Bottom)

At Synergy, we see a lot of business leaders approaching AI with the same mindset that’s guided them for decades: how do I make this faster and cheaper? It’s the instinct Henry Ford baked into business thinking a century ago. But that instinct leads to a race to the bottom. And the problem with a race to the bottom is that you might win — or worse, come in second.

AI gives us another path: the race to the top. The chance to create value, build trust, and design work worth talking about.

Attention is Scarce — and AI is Reshaping Business

Search once acted as the great attention funnel. Get found, get traffic, build your business. That era is fading. AI-driven tools and embedded answers mean attention is no longer “granted” by an algorithm — it’s earned when people talk about you.

At Synergy, it’s our belief that organizations shouldn’t anchor their AI adoption strategy to traffic, clicks, or promotional hacks. Instead, AI should help leaders create remarkable work — the kind worth sharing in boardrooms, group chats, and customer communities.

Consider how quickly the landscape has shifted: digital ads are less effective, organic search traffic is declining, and AI chat tools are now acting as gatekeepers of information. Leaders must recognize that the old paths to visibility are closing. The new path forward is built on creating offerings so distinct and valuable that customers and employees choose to amplify them.

The Smallest Viable Audience Meets AI Personalization

The idea of the “smallest viable audience” is more relevant than ever. AI enables personalization at scale, letting us serve smaller niches deeply and intelligently. The opportunity isn’t in reaching everyone — it’s in reaching the right someone with precision.

When we help clients with AI adoption, we encourage them to start by asking two simple but powerful questions:

• Who is it for?

• What is it for?

AI can make those answers actionable by turning them into data-driven insight, tailored experiences, and authentic user support. For example, an MSP serving small law firms can use AI-driven analytics to anticipate client needs before they even submit a ticket. A healthcare organization can use AI personalization to deliver targeted training and knowledge resources to nurses and staff, not just generic content for everyone.

The key takeaway: AI enables depth over breadth. It gives leaders the tools to build meaningful traction with the right customers, instead of wasting resources chasing the wrong ones.

Strategy for AI Adoption: Systems, Empathy, Games, and Time

Strong AI adoption strategy rests on four elements that apply directly to digital transformation:

Systems

What old assumptions about “how things work” are holding you back? For example, are you still requiring manual ticket triage when AI can categorize and prioritize instantly?

Empathy

Are you designing AI for efficiency, or for the people who will actually use it? An AI-powered intranet should solve user frustrations, not just check a technology box.

Games

What game is AI reshaping in your industry — and are you playing finite (efficiency) or infinite (reinvention)? In retail, for instance, AI-driven recommendation engines aren’t just about one more sale; they reshape customer loyalty.

Time

Are you planting the seeds today that your future self — or your successor — will thank you for? AI adoption may feel like a time cost today, but it compounds into efficiency, insight, and competitive advantage tomorrow.

At Synergy, we see too many leaders caught in tactical debates around tools, when the real question is whether AI fits their strategic horizon.

Culture and Enrollment Are Core to AI Leadership

AI isn’t just technology — it’s culture. Culture is “people like us do things like this.” If your culture sees AI as a threat, you’ll cut corners. If your culture sees AI as a partner, you’ll innovate.

Leaders can’t command enrollment. Employees have to choose to get on the AI journey. That means being clear about direction, transparent about promises, and consistent in how AI is rolled out and supported.

Practical ways to build AI enrollment:

• Create cross-functional AI pilot teams to test tools and share outcomes.

• Celebrate small wins openly so employees see the benefits of adoption.

• Provide AI “sandboxes” where teams can experiment without fear of mistakes.

Enrollment isn’t about forcing compliance; it’s about building trust and shared ownership in the transformation.

Consistency Over Authenticity in AI Business Transformation

We often hear leaders talk about being “authentic” with AI. But authenticity is for friends and family. Customers, employees, and partners want consistency: clear standards, reliable experiences, predictable value.

AI can help here too — not by replacing judgment, but by reinforcing consistency across communication, service delivery, and customer support. An AI-driven helpdesk, for instance, can ensure every client receives the same level of response quality, even at 3 a.m. That consistency becomes a competitive differentiator.

The Call to Action for AI-Driven Leaders

If you’re not spending at least 90 minutes a day using AI tools, you’re falling behind. At Synergy, it’s our belief that AI adoption isn’t about checking a box — it’s about showing up consistently to learn, experiment, and integrate.

And remember: “This is as normal as it’s ever going to be for the rest of your life.”

So the question for leaders is this: are you using AI to race to the bottom — or to the top?

👉 At Synergy, we help organizations navigate that choice — from discovery and strategy to practical AI adoption across intranets, ticketing systems, and everyday workflows. If you want to talk about what it means to race to the top with AI, let’s connect.

Summary Table: Concepts for AI Adoption

Concept	Insight	Synergy Perspective on AI
Attention is scarce	Traffic funnels are fading — real attention comes when people talk about you.	AI should help create remarkable work that earns conversations, not just clicks.
Smallest viable audience	Focus on serving the smallest group that cares enough to spread your idea.	Use AI personalization to serve niches deeply instead of chasing everyone.
Race to the top	Cost-cutting is a race to the bottom. Real success is in creating value.	Deploy AI not only for efficiency but to reinvent customer experiences and create new value.
Strategy pillars	Systems, empathy, games, time drive innovation and resilience.	Ask “who’s it for, what’s it for,” question legacy systems, and invest today for tomorrow’s gains.
Culture & enrollment	Culture = “people like us do things like this.” Enrollment can’t be forced.	Make AI adoption a cultural choice, where employees opt in because the vision excites them.
Consistency over authenticity	Consistency builds trust more than authenticity in professional settings.	Use AI to ensure predictability and reliability across service and communication.
What’s next	AI fluency is mandatory: spend daily time experimenting with tools.	Leaders should treat AI as a core business practice, not an optional add-on.

Practical Next Steps for Leaders

• Dedicate daily time to hands-on AI use, not just reading about it.

• Identify one process in your organization where AI can immediately improve consistency.

• Engage teams in AI discovery workshops to build trust and enrollment.

• Revisit your strategic horizon: how do AI systems, empathy, games, and time apply to your industry specifically?

This isn’t a one-time project — it’s an ongoing commitment. Leaders who embrace AI as a cultural, strategic, and operational priority will be the ones racing to the top.