71. AI Won’t Fix a Broken Operating Model - Adam Hadley - Quantspark

Most AI investments fail for a simple reason: companies start with the tool, not the business need. Productivity gains do not come from layering AI onto existing workflows, but from rethinking how decisions, information and value actually move through an organisation. The real job is not prompt engineering or model selection. It is business analysis: clarifying outcomes, mapping processes, understanding where value is created, and only then deciding where automation or augmentation belongs.Adam Hadley, CEO of Quantspark, makes the case that the winners will not be the firms with the most AI pilots, but the ones with the strongest management, clearest operating models and willingness to redesign work. He sees a widening gap between organisations that frame AI strategically and those still debating whether to act. His advice to leaders is blunt: ignore the hype, map your business on one page, identify what is becoming commoditised, and use AI to move up the value chain. The bigger risk now is not adopting too fast, but moving too slowly while competitors compound the advantage.AI is our Business.UKAI is the Trade Association for AI businesses across the UK. Join us, ukai.co