“AI isn’t going to take your job. The competition to use it will.”
That was entrepreneur and investor Piers Linney’s blunt message when he took to the stage at Elite Business Live. No hype. There’s no theory. A clear warning and practical roadmap for executives navigating one of the most rapid changes in modern business.
While much of the conversation around artificial intelligence remains bogged down in ethics and existential risks, Linney cuts straight to what’s important. How are you actually using it to grow your business today?
His answer challenges one of the most ingrained assumptions in business.
Growth no longer has to mean adding more people.
Rethinking growth in the age of AI
For decades, business expansion has followed a predictable pattern. Increase your revenue, hire more people, and watch your costs rise along with it.
AI breaks those connections.
“Develop your employees, not their salaries.” That simple idea supports larger changes.
Businesses are moving to a model where teams of humans are supported by digital workers (AI agents) that handle tasks, analyze data, and interact with customers.
This is not about replacing people. It’s about expanding capacity without increasing costs.
This meaning is important:
- higher margin
- Improving profitability
- greater business value
- Reduce operational risk
Linney framed it clearly. It’s not about cutting costs. The goal is to expand profits while separating from the cost base.
The biggest mistakes companies make with AI
Many companies are approaching AI the wrong way.
They try to jump to automation and customer-facing tools without understanding where the real value lies.
Linney’s advice is simple but surprisingly overlooked. Start with what you already have!
“AI allows businesses to see things they have never seen before.”
Most organizations have vast amounts of untapped data. Email. CRM system. phone. Interacting with customers. However, very few have been properly analyzed.
This is where AI can have an immediate impact.
Start with insight before action
Before building new processes or launching AI-driven campaigns, companies should:
- Analyze existing customer data
- See missed opportunities in your sales pipeline
- Identify customer behavior patterns
- Cosmetic gaps in service delivery
Linney likened this to acquiring a new kind of vision. It’s like night vision in business. When you can see clearly, you can make better decisions.
AI’s operational sweet spot
You don’t need to automate everything.
One of the most useful frameworks Linney shared was understanding where AI works best today.
Focus on tasks such as:
- repetitive
- structured
- process driven
- loud volume
Technology is reliable and provides tangible benefits in this regard. “Start where the technology works and provides meaningful ROI.”
This means prioritizing as follows:
- Administrative and back office processes
- Lead qualification and follow-up
- data analysis
- Customer support workflow
Trying to automate complex or highly creative tasks too early can lead to frustration. But within the right range, the impact is immediate.
Hidden profits in your business
One of the most fascinating parts of Linney’s keynote wasn’t about automation. It was about missed income.
Companies are losing opportunities every day without realizing it. Phone calls go unanswered. The reed will get cold. Customer intentions are never carried out. AI changes that.
A simple but powerful example
In one case, analysis of customer call data revealed a pipeline worth around £500,000 that had previously gone unnoticed. These were not new prospects.
They were existing prospects who had already expressed interest but had slipped through the cracks.
Another example featured a recruitment business with a database of 200,000 contacts.
With a small team, we could only reach a small part. Using AI, they reached out to thousands of people in a matter of hours, generating hundreds of conversations and dozens of bookings in one morning. The result was almost a success. They had more leads than they could handle.
Why experience is a real competitive advantage
Customer expectations have changed. Waiting days for a response is no longer acceptable. However, many companies still operate this way.
Linney pointed out a harsh reality. In some large organizations, only about 30% of customer inquiries are handled properly. This leaves a large gap that competitors can exploit.
AI enables businesses to:
- respond instantly
- Personalize communications at scale
- Deliver consistent service across channels
- Work beyond standard working hours
Customers don’t care whether they’re talking to a human or an AI. They are concerned with getting what they need quickly and accurately.
“They don’t care who or what they’re talking about. They care about getting results.” That mindset shift is key.
AI is not an IT project
One of the most powerful takeaways from this session was about how organizations build AI internally.
“If you think of AI as an IT project, you’re wrong.” AI is not a one-time implementation. This is an ongoing feature that continually evolves.
That requires a different approach.
- continuous experimentation
- Collaboration between teams
- Continuous learning and adaptation
Leadership is also needed.
Linney emphasized the importance of having a plan, rather than letting your team experiment without direction.
A practical starting point
- Upskill your team on basic AI usage
- Map key workflows and processes
- Identifying where AI can be trusted and valuable today
- Testing in a controlled environment
- Scale what works
This approach balances innovation and structure.
A shift in thinking that changes everything
Perhaps the most important point is not technical. It was psychological. Many people still evaluate AI based on whether it perfectly replicates human behavior.
That’s the wrong question.
Instead, ask, “What value does it create?”
“I see people thinking, ‘Isn’t that inhuman? That’s the wrong way of thinking.'” When you look at it from a value perspective, the benefits become clear.
speed. scale. Cost efficiency. Consistency.
And when combined with human creativity and judgment, the possibilities become even greater.
The big picture: Why timing matters
Linney described this as an early stage. It’s comparable to the dial-up era of the Internet.
While that is encouraging and urgent, there is still time to adapt. Even though the pace of change is accelerating.
“We’re still in the dial-up era of AI, but hesitating now could mean catching up later.”
Because with an exponential curve, it becomes increasingly difficult to catch up. His final parable captures it perfectly.
“The ship is leaving the port. You can still hop on it now, but soon it will be too far away.”
Practical takeaways for business leaders
If there’s one message to take away from this session, it’s this. Don’t wait. Start small. But let’s start now.
next step
- Analyze the data you already have
- Identify missed revenue opportunities
- Automate repetitive, structured tasks
- Improve customer response time
- Improve your team’s skills in the practical use of AI
- Build a clear and structured plan for implementation
And most of all, think about where this is all going. But today, focus on the substantive wins. Because businesses that migrate early will not only be more efficient; They will become fundamentally more competitive.
