The debate is settled, at least for now. On November 19th , we hosted a packed house for our panel, "Beyond the Hype: Is the AI Boom Built to Last?" 

The core verdict from our four expert panelists - Duc Doba (CEO, Tokyo Techies), Andrew Schwabecher (Country Manager, Grafana), Luis Freites (Former IT Head, Nestle), and Vishal Gupta (Executive, Intel, Silicon Valley) - was unanimous: The AI momentum is a true technological shift. The key to navigating it successfully? Adaptability and strategic focus.

Here are the critical takeaways from the discussion:

1. The Verdict: It's Real and It's Getting Faster

The panel confirmed that the AI boom is different from past bubbles because real companies have real, growing revenue from AI products.

• Speed & Change: The growth is huge, similar to when the internet moved from client-server to the cloud. Luis and Andy stressed that the speed of adoption, especially in coding, is proving this is a major change.
• Infrastructure is Ready: Vishal (Intel) assured the audience that while building the necessary hardware is hard, the massive investment in specialized chips means AI growth will continue to speed up, not stop.
• The Big Mistake: The greatest error companies make is seeing AI as a small add-on instead of a fundamental change to their entire business.

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2. The Strategy: Stop Fixing Old Problems

The experts agreed that just adding AI to old, slow processes won't work.

• Eliminate the Old: Luis stressed that leaders need to get rid of old ways of doing things before applying AI. Real value comes from redesigning workflows completely.
• Clean Data First: Duc pointed out that many companies, especially in Japan, rush into adoption but ignore the need for clean data and setting up proper workflows.
• The "Empty Box": Andy noted that the best AI tools need security and data work from experts to actually become useful; they aren't magical solutions out of the box.

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3. The Workforce: Your New Skill is Adaptability

The job market is shifting, but it's creating new opportunities for those who can adjust quickly.

• New Developer Role: The job of a young developer is moving from simple coding to being a "full-stack product manager, coder, engineer." You need to understand the big picture and how to assemble different AI tools.
• Automation Ahead: Andy suggested that jobs like basic accounting and financial analysis are set for heavy automation.
• Adaptability Wins: The most important skill for everyone is being flexible and comfortable using new AI tools in your daily routine.

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4. Key Lessons for Investment

Leaders need a practical, responsible approach to spending capital on AI:

• Pragmatic Focus: Focus your investment on areas that give you "minimal effort but maximum outcome," like automating routine coding tasks.
• Security First: Companies must self-regulate their use of AI tools to protect sensitive data and ensure good cybersecurity practices.

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5. Final Verdict: The Time to Act is Now 

The experts were unified in their final message: If you haven't adopted AI yet, now is the best time.

The technology is proven, the market is confirming sustainable growth, and the cost of waiting - the opportunity cost of losing out - is significant to ignore.

The experts are optimistic about the AI wave, but they warn that success depends entirely on your willingness to adapt quickly and eliminate outdated processes rather than just automating them.

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