2 May 2026
Delivery model or coping mechanism?
Most AI adoption is the second. Coping faster than competitors is a real advantage, for a while. But it has a shelf life.
Worth pulling these two apart, because they look identical at the surface and produce very different outcomes.
A new delivery model means the work itself has changed. Different inputs, different sequence, different team shape, different commercial frame. The customer experiences something they could not get before.
A coping mechanism means the existing work is now done faster or cheaper. Same workflow, same handoffs, same accountability lines. AI absorbs operational strain that was about to break the model. Margins improve. The customer sees the same product.
Most of the AI adoption I see is the second. That is not a criticism. Coping faster than your competitors is a real advantage, for a while. But it is not transformation, and it has a shelf life. Once everyone has the same coping mechanism, the margin advantage disappears and you are back at the start with a smaller team.
The question to ask is which one your AI strategy is funding. If you cannot answer cleanly, the budget is propping up the old model rather than building the new one.
More from the Friday Frame archive.
- 9 October 2026
What’s changed since we approved it?
Does the approval still fit the work?
- 2 October 2026
What changes after the training?
Training becomes useful when people have the workflows, incentives and support to put what they learn into practice.
- 25 September 2026
A shared platform still needs local judgement.
Scaling across markets means deciding what stays consistent, what local teams can adapt and who has authority to act.
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