Seize the moment: how to master your GenAI destiny

Two years into the rise of GenAI, one thing is clear: it is no longer optional, it’s inevitable. It’s more than just another emerging technology. It’s transforming industries in ways we couldn't have anticipated. From streamlining operations to revolutionizing customer experiences, it’s reshaping how businesses function at their core. 

We must recognize GenAI for the transformative force it is and plan accordingly, or we risk becoming irrelevant. This starts with understanding what makes GenAI different from the impact of past technology waves like mobile, social media and traditional digital transformation.

Simply put, it moves faster, comes in waves, has far-reaching applications across every industry and is deeply integrated into the fabric of organizations. As we witness accelerated adoption, it’s obvious that the ROI from GenAI is gaining momentum. In fact, according to IDC, for every dollar invested, organizations are yielding a $3.50 return. This gain is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s the key to future-proofing our businesses.

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Lead with vision

For senior leaders, the task is not merely to adopt GenAI but also to reimagine their business with GenAI at its core. This requires leadership with a clear vision to harness its potential for long-term success.

GenAI isn’t just an IT project; it’s a strategic, company-wide priority. It must be integrated into your company’s highest ambitions and aligned with your long-term business goals. Ask yourself: what am I doing today and what should I be doing with GenAI? Answering this fundamental question will ensure it’s not treated as a side experiment but as an aggregate transformational force woven into the very fabric of your organization.

Leading with a vision challenges us to think bigger. GenAI’s true value goes beyond process improvements. While it can make existing operations more efficient, its greatest potential lies in how it can redefine the way your organization creates value. Whether it’s unlocking new revenue streams, enabling hyperpersonalization for customers or predicting trends, GenAI is a game changer. Don't just think about doing things faster; think about doing things differently – in new ways, and better.

We must first identify the areas in our businesses where GenAI will have the most significant impact. Whether it’s revolutionizing the supply chain, streamlining software engineering or predicting market shifts through machine learning, the opportunities are limitless. Focus your vision on breakthrough outcomes, not just incremental improvements.

…but act with urgency

GenAI adoption isn’t a distant goal; it’s an immediate necessity. The window to lead in GenAI is closing, and those who delay will find themselves playing catch-up. Here are 10 ways you can act with urgency while maintaining focus:

1. Set the tone: As a leader, your commitment to GenAI will determine its success. Your belief in its power will trickle down to the entire organization, shaping how it is embraced, integrated and scaled. Leadership, including the CEO, must champion GenAI as a strategic priority. AI strategy must become business strategy.
2. Build connective tissue: GenAI will affect every part of your business: not just your bottom line, but also your workforce, workflows and processes. Cross-departmental collaboration is critical. Clear communication channels and opportunities for your teams to align with the GenAI vision and execute it together are essential. The future of GenAI requires functional areas working as one unified organization.
3. Start small, scale fast: Approach GenAI adoption as both a marathon and a sprint. Move fast to gain a competitive advantage, but also carefully consider long-term vision, benefits and challenges before starting. Start small with pilot projects that test potential in specific areas but have a roadmap for rapid scaling once those initial wins are achieved. Don’t fall into the trap of aiming for one giant leap. Take a hybrid, always-improving approach: trial and test in some areas, yet focus on adoption in others.
4. Beware of blind spots: As you embark on your GenAI journey, beware the common pitfalls. Focusing on short-term ROI can derail the long-term potential, and underestimating the cultural shift GenAI brings can create resistance within your organization.
5. Fast results start with clean data: Data is critical. GenAI cannot thrive without clean, well-structured data. Invest in data infrastructure from the start.
6. Keep an eye on the technology revolution: GenAI is evolving fast – faster than any other recent technology disruption. Successful leaders will keep one eye on the current and one eye on the future to be able to quickly assess opportunities and make changes in direction. Areas like the shift to domain-specific small language models, multimodal models, agentic AI and the emergence of language processing units are just a few examples of recent innovations that leaders are now considering in their GenAI strategies.
7. Cultivate a culture of innovation: Create an environment where experimentation is encouraged and failure is viewed as a stepping stone to success. GenAI projects may not yield perfect results immediately, but fostering a culture that embraces risk and disruption will drive greater long-term innovation.
8. Upskill to unlock human creativity: GenAI will fundamentally change the workforce, but it doesn’t mean replacing workers. It presents the opportunity to upskill and reskill employees for the future. Equip your teams with the knowledge and tools they need to work alongside GenAI and empower them to leverage its capabilities to enhance or evolve their roles to match their ideal career path.
9. Embrace a “responsible by design” philosophy: GenAI has a long way to go before it can be unleashed unchecked. It must be built responsibly from the ground up. This means ensuring that the systems, processes and workflows you develop are ethical, inclusive and secure. AI governance is not just about complying with regulation and standards that may or may not be in place today; it’s also about aligning your initiatives with your values, regardless of what is mandated.
10. Don’t let GenAI derail sustainability efforts: GenAI will create huge demand for power, fresh water and other scarce resources. Now is not the time to take our feet off the gas of sustainability progress. Technology and sustainability teams will need to collaborate more than ever before to align GenAI strategies with sustainability goals. Investing in renewable energy and more efficient data centers will be pertinent to make progress against net-zero and other sustainability goals without slowing down GenAI advancement.

Embrace GenAI to lead, not follow

GenAI is no longer a choice – it’s the future. As leaders, our role is to steer our organizations through this transformation with vision, urgency and responsibility. The companies that seize the GenAI opportunity today will be the ones defining the industries of tomorrow.

The time to act is now, and NTT DATA is here to help. We look forward to helping the world’s leading organizations embrace GenAI not just to stay competitive, but also to show the way forward.