It’s a good question. After all, just following the trends is like riding the rapids before we hit the edge of the waterfall. We may buy some time with some slick paddling, but in the end, we’re going over the falls. We have to find a way to step out of the water and chart a new course.

To that end, here are five elements we are using as a starting point for crafting strategy in the Age of AI:

1. Imagination and a Worldbuilding Mindset.

The best way to predict the future is to build it. We may not know what’s around the corner as an observer, but as a participant, we can shape our future by building what we want to see in it. The uncertainty in the age of AI is not a call for greater prediction skills. It’s a call for greater imagination and choosing the future we want to build.

2. A Return to Craft: Product-First Enterprise.

Technology is exciting but it can also be distracting. A whirlwind of release information, new capabilities, news – the constant idea that you’re falling behind can be dizzying. The challenge is to realize that the core strategic question is not what the technology is or how the technology works (the internal mechanics). It’s what the technology does for you and your enterprise. It’s all about application to real needs and problems which is what product-first enterprise is intended to reinforce.

3. AI as a Utility.

In our approach, we don’t think of AI as a technology. We think of it like a utility, like electricity. Except in this case, it’s a technology that augments our thinking skills. What does that mean? No one really knows yet. However, by looking at historical patterns of change we’ve experienced from the emergence of other utilities and comparing them to patterns of change we see today, we can find insights that help us understand what’s really going on and where they could go in the future.

4. The Practice: Creative Worldbuilding.

It’s not enough to exercise the imagination. We need to be able to convert those ideas into real world products, services, skilling and infrastructure. We do that by employing a creative worldbuilding framework anchored in story, worldbuilding and design. This framework helps us move from aspiration, into systems and build lists for the products, services, skilling and infrastructure that brings a desired future to life.

5. The Community: Why Belvedere?

Innovation is a team sport. Truth is, no one has the insight, skills or capacity to do this on their own. So, this newsletter is designed to share ideas, connect with others and for those ideas that are worth traction, act as a stepping stone to developing cool products in great enterprises. We’re going to experiment and try different things to see what works. What helps us build. What helps us succeed.

There is no doubt that the age of AI is going to transform and challenge every aspect of how we live, work and play. This also means we need to transform and challenge the way we think about strategy & innovation; the goals we set, what we choose to develop, how we use technology, how we build enterprise and institutions. That’s what we are committed to exploring in The Belvedere Project: how to craft strategy & innovate in the age of AI.

To learn how we’ve structured the newsletter to support this, visit the About page. Thanks for being here.