AI Champion

In 2000, Blockbuster was the undisputed king of home entertainment. With over 9000 stores worldwide, they’d made movie rentals a part of everyday life. Their brand was so powerful that when a small start-up called Netflix offered to sell themselves to Blockbuster for $50 million, Blockbuster’s CEO practically laughed them out of the room.

We all know how this story ends. Netflix is now worth many hundreds of billions and Blockbuster … well, there is exactly one Blockbuster store left in the entire world and it’s more of a tourist attraction than anything else.

What happened? Blockbuster failed to recognise a fundamental shift in how people wanted to consume entertainment. While they were busy protecting their late-fee revenue and expanding their physical stores, Netflix was betting on a digital future. By the time Blockbuster realised streaming was the future, it was too late. They’d missed their moment.

It’s a cautionary tale we’ve seen play out many times. Kodak invented the digital camera but clung to film. Nokia dominated mobile phones but missed the smartphone revolution. Yahoo! had the chance to buy Google – twice.

But here’s what makes the AI revolution different, and frankly, more dangerous. Those earlier technological shifts happened over years, sometimes decades. Companies had time to adapt, even if many chose not to. The AI revolution? It’s happening in months, sometimes weeks.

Think about this. ChatGPT reached one million users in just five days. It took Netflix three and a half years to hit that milestone. The pace of AI advancement isn’t just fast – it’s exponential. What was cutting edge six months ago is now obsolete. The tools and capabilities that seem impressive today will be basic expectations tomorrow.

And just like Blockbuster in 2000, I’m seeing businesses today dismiss AI as a “future concern” or a passing trend. They’re making the same mistake: assuming they have time to adapt later. But here’s the hard truth. In the AI era, later often means too late.

This chapter isn’t about scaring you – it’s about preparing you. Because unlike Blockbuster, you have a choice. You can see the change coming and position yourself ahead of it. The question isn’t whether AI will transform your business … it’s whether you’ll be the Netflix or the Blockbuster of your industry.

Understanding AI’s impact¶

AI is a fundamental shift in how work gets done. For the first time in business history, we’re seeing something remarkable: the ability to do things faster, cheaper and better. Typically, you could only pick two of these. Want it faster and cheaper? Quality would suffer. Want it better and faster? That would cost you. But AI is rewriting these rules.

To understand why AI represents such a dramatic shift in business capabilities, we need to look at what came before. Some businesses are familiar with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – software robots that follow precise instructions to automate repetitive tasks. Think of RPA like a very diligent worker who follows your documented process exactly, without deviation. It is fantastic for tasks like data entry, file manipulation or moving information between systems.

But here is the limitation: RPA is completely inflexible. If something in the process changes, even something as small as a form field moving position or a button being added, the automation breaks. It is like a train that can only run on its predetermined tracks. The moment it encounters something unexpected, everything stops.

AI, on the other hand, is more like an adaptive problem solver. It can take in all available data, recognise patterns and make decisions, even in situations it hasn’t explicitly been programmed for. When it encounters something unexpected, instead of breaking, it can analyse the situation and determine the best way forward.

Let me give you a practical example. An RPA bot processing customer refund requests would follow rigid steps: accessing the CRM system, locating the customer record, verifying purchase history, calculating the refund amount based on policy and submitting the approval form. If the CRM interface changes even slightly, like the “Process Refund” button moving from the bottom to the side panel, the bot completely fails. But an AI system handling refunds can adapt by analysing screen elements to find the relocated button. AI can understand customer sentiment in their request email, it can determine refund eligibility even for unusual cases (like purchases just outside the policy window) and suggest appropriate goodwill gestures based on customer history and value … all without being explicitly programmed for each scenario.

Beyond these operational tasks, AI truly shines in administrative and writing tasks, areas that have historically resisted automation because they require understanding context and making judgement calls. While RPA might help you move data between spreadsheets, AI can read reports, draft responses and make informed decisions. It can handle nuanced tasks like crafting customer service replies, generating marketing content or summarising lengthy documents – tasks that previously required significant human time and effort.

This distinction helps explain why AI is transforming every corner of business. It’s not just faster automation: it’s a technology that can understand context, learn from experience and make informed decisions.

Here’s an example of how we transformed our own content creation process here at SYSTEMology. Like many businesses, we were creating content to generate leads, videos, blog posts, social media updates and email newsletters. It was a complex, time-consuming process involving multiple steps like video editing, transcribing, writing titles and descriptions, creating social media posts and crafting email marketing campaigns. (Learn more about the process in my book Authority Content.)

At its core, the system was strong. But as we started exploring AI tools, we realised we could re-engineer the entire process. We began by reviewing our existing way of doing things and systematically identified where AI could help. After we trained the AI on our data, created prompts and updated our workflows, the results were remarkable.

Tasks that once took hours now take minutes. Best of all, the new process is not just faster and cheaper – it’s better. Because our team now spends less time on routine tasks like transcription and initial drafts, they can focus more energy on refinement and creativity. The AI handles the heavy lifting, while humans add the strategic thinking and personal touch that makes content truly exceptional. And that is just with one of our processes.

That’s just one example of the change that is happening. This transformation is happening in every corner of business. Marketing teams are using AI to create personalised campaigns at scale. Sales teams are leveraging AI to qualify leads and predict customer behaviour. Operations teams are automating routine tasks and detecting inefficiencies. Finance departments are using AI to spot patterns in data and forecast trends. HR teams are streamlining recruitment and improving team member engagement. The impacts are profound.

I like to think that AI isn’t replacing humans but augmenting them. It’s like giving everyone on your team a super-powered assistant. These assistants can handle routine tasks, provide insights and help make better decisions.

AI as a data refinery¶

AI is like a modern-day oil refinery. Just as a refinery takes crude oil and transforms it into valuable products such as gasoline, plastics and chemicals, AI takes raw data and refines it into valuable insights and actions.

Now think about all the data sitting in your business right now, including:

• Customer interactions and feedback
• Sales patterns and trends
• Financial transactions and reports
• Team performance metrics
• Marketing campaign results.

Without AI, much of this data sits untouched, its potential value locked away. It’s like having an oil field but no refinery. But with AI, you can instantly transform this raw data into actionable insights. Patterns emerge. Trends become visible. Opportunities reveal themselves.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The most exciting part, and what makes your role as Systems Champion so crucial, is that AI needs clear instructions to tell it what to do. It needs documented processes. Every Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), every documented workflow and every captured process becomes training material for AI. You’re not just creating instructions for humans anymore; you’re creating the programming that will power your AI assistants.

Think about that for a moment. When you document how your best customer service representative handles difficult conversations, you’re not just creating a training manual – you’re creating the foundation for an AI that can handle similar conversations. When you document your sales team’s follow-up process, you’re laying the groundwork for automated lead nurturing. When you combine this training material with actual client data, that’s where the magic happens.

Can you see it? This is why clear, well-documented systems are more valuable than ever.

Your unique position¶

Let me share something that took me years to fully understand. The most valuable person in a business isn’t always the one with the most technical skills or industry experience. It’s often the one who understands how everything fits together. And that is exactly where you sit as a Systems Champion.

Think about what you do every day. You’re not just documenting processes – you’re mapping the DNA of your business. You understand how work flows from department to department. You see the connections that others miss. You know which processes are working smoothly and which ones need improvement. This unique perspective puts you in the perfect position to lead your business’s AI transformation.

Here is why. To be effective, AI needs:

1. Clear instructions about what to do
2. Understanding of how different parts connect
3. High-quality data to learn from and work with.

You have access to all this at your fingertips.

Remember the case study I shared earlier with Eryn from Stannard Homes? She started in the business doing interior design but was curious about everything. By documenting systems across different departments, she gained such a comprehensive understanding of the business that she became one of its most knowledgeable team members.

Ryan (the business owner) is mentoring her to manage their $15–20 million operation while he launches a new venture. And whether she realises it or not, her deep understanding of how everything connects makes her ideally positioned to spot where AI can add the most value.

This is the big opportunity in front of you. This transition toward an AI-driven workplace will necessitate the rise of a new generation of champions – individuals who possess a profound understanding of both the complexities of business processes and the vast potential of AI.

You’re not just a Systems Champion anymore; you’re becoming a Systems and AI Champion.

Think of yourself as a bridge between the current way of working and the AI-powered future. This isn’t just about job security, but about career opportunities. The skills you’re developing now, combined with your growing understanding of AI, position you to lead your business’s transformation. You could become one of the most crucial players in your organisation’s future success.

Your starting point¶

When I talk about AI transformation, I often see a mix of excitement and overwhelm in people’s eyes. They know this is important, but where do they begin? Here’s the good news. As a Systems Champion, you’ve already started.

I’ve already introduced the concept of using AI tools like ChatGPT to help with systems documentation. In the past, turning video recordings into step-by-step processes took hours or even days of careful study and manual transcription, just to get a first documentation draft for a single system. Now, with AI assistance, you can upload a recording, get an accurate transcript and have the AI organise it into clear procedural steps, getting you 80–90 percent of the way there in a matter of minutes. This is a prime example of AI at work.

You have probably also seen how many AI capabilities are being added to your existing tools. Software like Microsoft Office, Google Workspace and many project management platforms have built-in AI features. Start experimenting with these. They are a low-risk way to begin understanding AI’s potential.

For example, that transcription feature in Microsoft Teams? That’s AI. The smart compose in Gmail? Also AI. These might seem small, but they’re perfect training grounds for understanding how AI can augment human work.

While you’re documenting systems, start organising them with AI in mind. Think of it like creating a knowledge base that both humans and AI can learn from. The more organised and structured your documentation, the easier it will be to use as AI training material later.

Look to add AI tools into existing processes to create a quick win. Maybe it’s using AI to help draft customer service replies, or to summarise meeting notes, or to help with data entry. Success in these small areas builds confidence and creates momentum for bigger projects.

Your goal isn’t to become an AI expert overnight. It’s to gradually build your understanding while leveraging your unique position as Systems Champion.

Creating AI-powered team members¶

Imagine creating a digital twin of your best team members – one that is available 24/7 and can handle multiple enquiries simultaneously. That’s what happens when you create AI assistants that are specifically trained on your business’s knowledge and processes.

Using your systems management software, you can organise your documented processes by role or department, then train AI specifically on that knowledge. Want an AI assistant that thinks like your best customer service representative? Feed it your customer service SOPs, call recordings and common scenarios. Need an AI that understands your sales process? Train it on your sales playbooks, client personas and pricing documents.

The key is organisation, and you’ve already started building a database of processes for different departments and roles. Think about having different AI assistants, each an expert in their domain. These are powerful assistants that help your team work more effectively. They know exactly how your business works because they’ve been trained on your specific systems and processes.

Pretty cool, huh?! And this is just the start!

Build an AI-driven culture¶

You’ll quickly learn that the true power of AI emerges when it becomes woven into your organisation’s cultural fabric. There’s a whole host of opportunities here. You just need your entire team embracing these new capabilities and thinking differently about how work gets done.

I’ll share more about this a little later. As you know, “Culture” is one of the three key pillars covered in this book, and I’ve dedicated an entire section to this topic. That said, while we’re talking about AI, I wanted to share six practical tips for approaching AI from a cultural perspective that you can implement immediately.

1. Start with quick wins: Begin with tasks that everyone agrees are tedious or time-consuming. When people see AI eliminating their least favourite parts of work, resistance naturally drops. Show them how AI can draft first versions of routine emails or summarise long meetings. These small wins build confidence and curiosity about what else is possible.
2. Make it personal: Help each team member understand how AI will make their specific role better. Show your salespeople how AI can help them prepare for client meetings. Show your customer service team how AI can help them respond to enquiries faster. When people see direct benefits to their daily work, they become supporters rather than resisters.
3. Address fears head-on: Yes, people worry about AI replacing their jobs. Don’t dodge these concerns. Instead, address them directly. Show how AI is about augmentation, not replacement. Share examples of how team members who embrace AI are becoming more valuable, not less. Like Eryn at Stannard Homes, they often find themselves moving into more strategic roles.
4. Create safe spaces to learn: Give your team permission to experiment and make mistakes with AI. Create informal learning sessions where people can share discoveries and ask questions. The goal is to make AI feel like a helpful tool, not an intimidating technology.
5. Celebrate and share successes: When someone finds a clever way to use AI, make it known. Create communication channels for sharing AI wins and insights. This not only spreads knowledge but also builds momentum for adoption.
6. Keep the human touch: Always emphasise that AI is a tool to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. Show how AI handles routine tasks so people can focus on what humans do best: building relationships, solving complex problems and being creative.

Your role as Systems Champion puts you in the perfect position to lead this cultural shift. Embrace this opportunity. Think seriously about expanding your ambitions from Systems Champion to AI Champion as well. The future of your business, and indeed the future of work itself, is being written by Systems Champions like you.