AI proficiency is now competitive edge
Today I lived a case that summarizes a thesis well: AI proficiency is now competitive edge. And anyone still treating AI as an IT matter will find out too late.
A contact reached out in crisis: the company's e-commerce had been compromised, redirecting users off-site. He was looking for guidance or a referral.
Three minutes, three steps
Still on the call, I opened an AI in the browser. The logic was simple:
- I asked my AI to evaluate possible causes, starting from a script-injection hypothesis.
- I asked it to navigate the site, gather evidence up to the redirect and identify the likely culprit.
- I asked for a technical report with evidence, explanation and a fix.
Within minutes we had identified a suspicious script loaded early in the page, calling an external endpoint. With enough evidence to drive the fix.
This happened at a large company. The problem went through agency, product, leadership and dozens of people. Probably all of them have access to an AI — and still, no one had the proficiency to turn a confusing crisis into an objective investigation.
What AI exposes
I did nothing brilliant. I just knew how to form a hypothesis, request investigation, validate evidence and turn the answer into action.
I see executives asking their teams to "use AI." But in a crisis it becomes clear they themselves don't know how — and therefore don't know how to ask:
- They can't tell cosmetic use from real gain.
- They don't know how to demand evidence.
- They can't assess technical depth.
- They can't drive the problem.
As my father always says: only those who know how to do, know how to command.
AI does not replace leadership. But it quickly exposes whoever leads without understanding the work.