Two Paths to Industrial AI Success: Which One Fits Your Organization?‍

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Ayna’s previous two articles – “The Promise of AI in Industrials – Rethinking ROI” and “Harnessing AI ROI in Industrials” – explored how AI in industrials has moved past the hype cycle. 

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AI now delivers measurable value and must be treated like a capital asset. That shift has prompted a new question from many leaders: “So how should we actually start?” It’s a fair question. The biggest mistake companies now make isn’t picking the wrong algorithm or tool. 

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It’s picking a strategy they aren’t ready to execute.‍ Some industrials jump immediately into enterprise-wide AI programs — central hubs, clean-sheet architectures, multi-year roadmaps — and stall out after a few pilots. Others stay stuck in pilot mode, turning high-ROI use cases into isolated experiments.

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Both outcomes destroy momentum. The reason? AI strategy must fit the organization’s current level of maturity. In this article, we discuss two distinct paths for industrial AI adoption - opportunistic and holistic - and offer an approach for determining which strategy fits your organization as you look to get started on your AI journey.‍

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