The AI Derby: Strategy Beats Speed

With the Kentucky Derby days away (Sat., May 2, 4:57 PM MDT, NBC | Peacock), it’s a useful reminder for leaders: in a crowded field, the “favorite” can change in seconds. Momentum shifts. Conditions change. A late surge rewrites the story. That’s the AI landscape right now—weekly headlines, constant capability leaps, and confident predictions that age fast. So, what should corporate executives take from this “AI Derby” when the lead horse keeps changing?

1.      Don’t confuse a fast horse with a winning strategy. Avoid “all-in” bets on a single vendor, model, or platform. Build an AI portfolio: multiple use cases, clear decision criteria, and an architecture that lets you swap components as the market shifts.

2.      Resist the hype cycle—commit to measurable value. Emotional pitches and flashy demos create urgency, not clarity. Ask disciplined questions: What business outcome are we changing? What data is required? What risk are we accepting (security, privacy, IP, compliance)? What will adoption look like in day-to-day work?

3.      Win with people and process first—then let technology amplify. The best AI programs don’t start with moonshots; they start with operating rhythm. Modernize existing workflows, strengthen data hygiene, train leaders and teams, and put responsible-use guardrails in place. Then scale what works.

The Derby is exciting because anything can happen. In AI, that same volatility is the risk—speed without strategy. The winners won’t be the companies that picked the “right” horse early. They’ll be the ones that built the operating model to learn quickly, govern wisely, and compound capability quarter after quarter.

Leaders: Where are you over-investing in a tool choice—and under-investing in the system required to make AI stick?

Call To Action (for corporate executives): Within 30 days, identify 1–2 workflows where improved decisions, quicker execution, or reduced costs are impactful.  Set success metrics. Establish lightweight governance (IT, Security, Legal, HR, Ops). Run a pilot focused on adoption—not just accuracy. If you’d like an executive scorecard for evaluating AI vendors/models and a pragmatic 90-day adoption roadmap, reach out to info@ascentleadershipgroup.com.

About the Author

John Seville is an entrepreneurial technology executive and leadership strategist. He has launched four ventures—most recently Ascent Leadership Group—and served in several CIO and COO roles. His work earned a nomination for Colorado CIO of the Year from the Denver Business Journal and SIM. Connect with John by emailing him or schedule a phone or video call at Bookings with me - John Seville - Outlook.

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