AI Is Following the Same Path Social Media Followed

Artificial Intelligence reminds me a lot of what happened with social media a little over a decade ago.

Back then, social media promised to revolutionize the way businesses operated. Suddenly, every company needed a presence on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. It did not matter whether they understood the tool or whether it truly contributed to their strategy; they simply had to be there because everyone was talking about it.

What was interesting was that, along with that explosion in popularity, hundreds of experts appeared overnight. People who had learned how to use a platform suddenly presented themselves as digital marketing specialists. Knowing how to publish content or gain followers seemed enough to claim the title of marketer.

Fifteen years later, I am witnessing exactly the same phenomenon with Artificial Intelligence.

Today, it seems that every company must implement AI. It does not matter whether they have documented processes, clear objectives, or even a business plan. What matters is being able to say that they are using Artificial Intelligence. And just as happened with social media, we are already seeing the rise of new gurus, instant experts, and promises of guaranteed success.

However, I believe the real question is not how to implement AI, but whether companies are truly prepared to do so.

Because before teaching something to a machine, a company should be able to explain to itself how it works and, even more importantly, what its objectives are.

Social media experienced a very peculiar boom because neither businesses nor individuals really understood what it was. Things happened so quickly, driven by technology, that we barely had time to understand the platforms before the rules changed. First, they monetized what had previously been free. Then came legal pressures, followed by additional changes driven by the need to generate returns for investors. As marketers, we constantly had to adapt, adjust, and rethink our strategies. These companies realized the value they had created, and they evolved accordingly.

Social media grew under the illusion of being free. Users believed they were receiving a free service, and businesses believed they were getting free advertising. Over time, we discovered that nothing was truly free.

But that was not the worst part.

The worst part was the arrival of the opportunists: people who realized that many businesses did not understand social media and decided to take advantage of that knowledge gap.

The same thing is happening today with AI.

Everyone wants to talk about AI. Everyone wants to implement it. People watch videos about it (very few actually read), and they want to feel part of this new technological revolution. The human need to belong and to appear relevant is showing itself once again.

Many companies feel an urgent need to talk about AI, implement AI, and demonstrate that they are using AI, even when they have no clear understanding of how to integrate it into their operations or what specific problem they are trying to solve.

After observing social media and now Artificial Intelligence, I have come to an uncomfortable conclusion:

The problem is not AI.

The problem is us.

We want to be part of every trend, yet we resist doing the basics: defining objectives, documenting processes, and building a business plan.

Various studies suggest that fewer than 30% of businesses have a formal business plan. If a company does not even have a business plan, how can it possibly know where and how to implement AI?

As a marketer, I regularly ask business owners a simple question:

Who is your ideal customer?

Very few can answer with real clarity.

So the problem is not only that many companies lack a business plan or do not clearly understand their ideal customer. The problem is that, without those foundations, they have little chance of knowing where to invest in a technology such as AI.

As my good friend Brian Gibbs, author of What NOT to Automate, often points out, there are systems that should not be automated. Before automating anything, a company must have a clear understanding of its objectives.

That is the real issue.

Because a company without clear objectives will struggle to determine what should be automated.

But there is an even more important question:

What is your personal objective for that business?

Technology can help you move faster, but first you must know where you are trying to go.

If we do not take the time to think deeply about our objectives and instead allow society to dictate our direction, neither we nor our businesses will truly evolve.

One of the most important lessons I have learned about AI is that it simply amplifies human beings, along with both our strengths and our weaknesses.

AI will not separate intelligent companies from traditional companies.

For years, social media allowed many businesses to appear professional.

Artificial Intelligence is forcing businesses to become professional.

AI will separate the companies that truly understand their business from those that never did.

Because a company without clear objectives, defined processes, and a documented strategy will struggle to teach a machine how to create value.