Why Process Excellence Will Become the Competitive Advantage in the AI Economy
CIO, Tuesday, October 13th, 2026
With AI models widely available, well-documented business processes and context become the real differentiator.
The author argues that access to AI is no longer a competitive advantage, since open-weight models are widely available and companies can switch models per task.
What separates winners is the context, control and support around the models, especially whether agents have accurate, timely information about how the business works.
A well-described digital twin of the organization becomes a strategic dataset.
Companies with ambiguous or siloed processes will see AI initiatives suffer errors and inefficiencies, while those with process rigor will get much more from the same technology.