Deploying AI is easy; integrating it into a sustainable business model is where the real challenge begins. In an exclusive interview, digital transformation expert Jakub Szlosek breaks down why treating artificial intelligence as a mere IT project is a recipe for failure. He highlights the three business areas delivering the fastest ROI, shares a refreshing perspective on the European AI Act, and explains why long-term market winners will be defined not by the sophistication of their software, but by their agility, governance, and capacity to adapt.
Artificial intelligence is becoming a major topic in boardrooms. What are business leaders still getting wrong?
The most common mistake is treating AI as a technology initiative.
In reality, successful AI adoption has much more to do with business strategy, operational processes, organizational culture, and leadership than with software itself.
The companies achieving the strongest results are not necessarily those using the most advanced AI tools. They are the ones that successfully integrate people, processes, data, and technology into a single operating model.
What industries are seeing the fastest returns from AI investments?
We consistently see three areas generating the fastest ROI.
The first is customer service, where AI assistants and chatbots automate repetitive interactions.
The second is sales and marketing, where AI improves customer insights, personalization, and demand forecasting.
The third is knowledge management. Organizations generate enormous amounts of information every day, and AI can dramatically reduce the time employees spend searching for it.
Many executives fear that regulation could slow innovation. What is your perspective?
I see regulation as a sign of market maturity.
The European AI Act certainly introduces new responsibilities, but it also creates clarity. Businesses need predictable rules if they want to make long-term investments.
The real challenge is not compliance itself. The real challenge is whether organizations have the governance structures, documentation, and internal competencies required to use AI responsibly.
You work with both industrial and family-owned businesses. What challenges do they face?
Most mature companies eventually reach a point where operational excellence alone is no longer enough to sustain growth.
At that stage, they need better decision-making, stronger sales systems, improved knowledge management, and more efficient use of data.
AI can support all of those objectives, but only when it is part of a broader transformation strategy.
What will separate winners from losers over the next decade?
The winners will not be the companies with the most AI tools.
They will be the organizations that learn fastest, adapt fastest, and connect technology to measurable business outcomes.
The future belongs to companies that can combine human expertise, operational excellence, data intelligence, and AI into one cohesive system.
That is where sustainable competitive advantage will be created.
Jakub Szlosek – an entrepreneur, owner of several companies, and digital transformation expert. For over a decade, he has been involved in the e-commerce industry, digital marketing, and web project development. He advises entrepreneurs, primarily in industrial sectors, on digitalization, process automation, and implementing artificial intelligence within organizations. Through his work, he demonstrates how modern technologies enable effective business management from anywhere in the world, combining corporate growth with a passion for travel and a mobile lifestyle. He promotes a practical approach to technology, highlighting how AI and automation can drive efficiency, scale operations, and build a competitive advantage in the global business environment.
