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When Dell Technologies CTO John Roese expanded into the role of Chief AI Officer last year, one thing was clear: they were rallying behind a clear challenge to move fast or get left behind. They set a two-year deadline to do just that and they are on track. What came next wasnt hype or hundreds of organic pilots originated from all over the organization. It was purposeful rigor the likes of which has always guided Della multipronged strategy in four clearly defined areas that focused on prioritizing people and processes with technology as the ultimate enabler. Dell delivered $10billion in new revenue in its fiscal year 2025 with revenue growth of 8% while reducing costs by 4%. Thats a decoupling of the revenue and cost curves rarely seen from a Fortune 50 company.I was inspired to highlight Dell’s success not because they’re a client (theyre not), but because they offer a compelling playbook for any enterprise embarking on their AI transformation journey. The Dell way Here are four nonnegotiables from Dells AI startegy that should be on your radar now: 1. Be crystal-clear on why youre doing AI There were no feel-good pilots. No AI for the sake of innovation. Dell defined early that AI must directly drive profitthrough revenue, margins, cost reduction, or risk mitigation. It wasnt about goodwill or buzz. It was about the P&L, unapologetically. 2. Focus only on what mattersInstead of chasing hundreds of AI projects they had on their list, they identified the parts of the business that truly drive value for them: supply chain, sales, engineering, and customer service. Every AI investment had to serve one of these pillars. According to a recent Stanford Artificial Intelligence Index Report, those four areas are critical levers organizations can use to harness AI to both save and make money. As Roese explained, We wanted to apply AI against the most impactful processes in the core differentiators of the business to improve our productivity. 3. Reengineer processes before layering AI Pre-AI, Dell found the sales team spent a lot of their time navigating workflows and tools. They cleaned up their content, redesigned end-to-end processes, and then overlaid AI on top of it. Its AI maturity. 4. Build AI systems that scale across the enterprise Dell avoided the trap of isolated pilots. They chose platforms and frameworks that could serve multiple use cases across departments. AI wasnt siloed. It was architected for broad, secure, and scalable integration. Whether you’re running a 500-person company or a Fortune 50, the lesson holds: if your AI cant grow with your business, its just a science project. AI at Scale, the Dell Way Dells AI implementation serves as a core differentiator for them. Here are some high-level nuggets you can take from them to inspire your companys own AI journey. Sales: AI-powered tools cut time spent prepping, giving reps meaningfully more time to be in front of customers. Customer Service: Dell-enabled AI to deliver answers with unprecedented accuracy through any interface to resolve customer issues rapidly. Supply Chain: AI made Dells world-class supply chain more agile, predictive and dynamic in a complex world. Engineering: Dell used AI to introduce additional scale to their engineering capability, increasing the capacity and efficiency of their existing team. The New AI Blueprint for Enterprises Dells transformation follows a method that any large organization can replicate: Clarify ROInot goodwill, but bottom-line impact. Identify value pillarswhere AI promises to move the needle most. Rebuild, then scaleRedesign broken processes before applying AI. Dont let automation mask dysfunction. Then incorporate AI only onto those workflows that are optimized to amplify impact fast. Mandate integration & governanceno rogue AI islands allowed. Enterprises are complex and AI use can show up in a variety of placesfrom SaaS services to procurement and consulting. This is where comprehensive governance comes into play. Make sure you have an active AI use case review board who oversees governance, structure, approval, and prioritization anywhere AI will manifest in your business. No AI projects should proceed without moving through this holistic lens first. The result? You unleash AI to become an impressive growth engine, enabling the decoupling of revenue from costs curves. Even as a provider of industry-leading AI infrastructure, Dell had to prioritize its people and processes first to drive meaningful transformation, proving that innovation begins with strong process and people foundations. Why This Matters Now Were at an inflection point. Generative AI is not just another productivity tool. Its a catalyst to rewire entire operating systems. While the headlines fixate on job anxiety or AGI, the real story is about industrial-scale reinvention. Dell quietly became a pioneer again: a 40-year-old company evolving into a living, breathing AI-first enterprise. If you want generational growth, dont chase every AI trend. Focus on the workflows that actually move your business forward. Thats how you drive ROI, bankroll transformation, and widen the gap between you and the pack.
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E-Commerce
Scot and Jacqueline Tatelman never planned on launching a backpack startupmuch less a cult brand that now generates $100 million a year in revenue. Each of them had spent their childhood summers going to idyllic places for sleep-away camp, and they wanted kids from under-resourced communities to have this life-changing experience. In 2009, when they were in their early twenties, they started a nonprofit that brought students from Brooklyn and the Bronx to the wilderness, where they could eat s’mores around a campfire. But every year, their hearts broke to see how the children toted their stuff. “Many brought all their things in trash bags or plastic Duane Reade bags,” says Scot. “One time, when we were catching a train, a girl’s bag ripped, so all her things were on the platform. These were kids who lived less than two miles from us in New York.” The kids needed better bags, the Tatelmans agreed. At the time, Jacqueline was pregnant, but since her family had been in the fashion industry, she felt she had the skills to start a buy one, give one backpack business. In 2013, they cofounded State, which sells high-end backpacks and uses the proceeds to donate backpacks (and other resources) to kids in need. “We made the deliberate decision to focus on the premium end of the market so we would have enough margin to donate to the philanthropic efforts,” Scot says. [Photo: State] Jacqueline focused on the business, first as chief creative officer. In 2020, she decided to take on the role of CEO as State faced financial challenges, and has since increased revenues by 1,000%, rocketing the company to eight figures in revenue. Scot, meanwhile, has been laser focused on the nonprofit. Every year, Jacqueline apportions hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Scot’s work, from donating backpacks to organizing summer camps. During the pandemic, Scot pivoted to focus on one-on-one tutoring to kids in New York who were falling behind academically. If the company exceeds its financial targets, it pours more money into the philanthropic work the following year. Scot says that it has always been tricky being a mission-driven brand. This is particularly true now, when the Trump Administration is attacking companies that engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. But he’s found that even when social justice was fashionable, it was still hard to communicate about the brand’s work. “There was a time when every brand said it was mission-driven,” says Scot. “Consumers began to see it as a cheap marketing ploy. And now, when you’re committed to social justice you have a target on your back. You just can’t win.” Now, Scot believes that the best approach to corporate philanthropy is to under-communicate, but over-deliver. After all, the evidence suggests that most consumers don’t make purchases based on a brand’s social missionand the small number that do will be on the lookout for these efforts, and hold a brand’s feet to the fire if they don’t follow through. [Photo: State] The pendulum of corporate philanthropy When the Tatelmans launched State, it was the norm for startups to describe themselves as mission-driven. Millennials seemed to care more about brands’ ethics than previous generations did and in the mid-2010s, a wave of direct-to-consumer startups positioned themselves as brands that made money while also doing good. Warby Parker and Bombas gave away products for each one they sold. Everlane vowed to eradicate virgin plastic from the supply chain. Allbirds and Reformation made eco-friendly sneakers and clothes. Over time, larger companies from Nike to Coca-Cola also aligned themselves with good causes. In 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the police, even more companies began supporting DEI. Scot felt ambivalent about this shift toward corporate activism. On the one hand, it validated his thesis that “business for good” was possible. But on the other, it was so ubiquitous that consumers became skeptical when a brand touted its good deeds. This is when State made the decision to communicate less about its mission. “The conversations on social media around mission felt opportunistic,” he says. “I didn’t want to add to the noise.” [Photo: State] Just a few years later, the corporate landscape is unrecognizable. The Trump administration and right-wing shareholders have demanded that companies abandon their DEI initiatives, and many have complied. Companies once seen as beacons of progressive valueslike Target and Googlehave pulled back from their DEI programs. As James Surowiecki argues in a Fast Company rticle, shedding social justice and philanthropy efforts was also a way to cut losses. And on the surface, State also seems primarily focused on selling products. There are clues about the brand’s philanthropic efforts, including the company’s “about” page and an occasional Instagram post. “We’ve found that the best and most authentic way for people to learn about the mission is organically, as opposed to shoving it down their throat,” he says. “If they want to know more, they’ll dig deeper. But many will not, and we’re okay with that.” While consumers report that corporate ethics matter to them, this hasn’t been borne out in their buying behavior. In 2024, scholars from the University of Chicago and New York University tracked the spending habits of 24,000 consumers. While most stated a moderate preference for ethical companies, it ultimately had no impact on what they bought. And this was before the mood in the country shifted. [Photo: State] So what’s the point of corporate philanthropy? All of this surfaces the question of whether it is worth launching a mission-driven business at all. Does it make more sense for nonprofits and companies to stay separate? Scot doesn’t think so. For one thing, he believes a social mission is a good way to keep employees engaged. At State, staff can devote part of their time to working on philanthropic projects, from back-to-school backpack drops to helping to plan camps. Jacqueline says the brand’s mission has also helped her stay focused as CEO. “Running a business is hard,” she says. “We have been through very difficult times as a business, but having larger goalsand people we don’t want to let downreally helps us stay motivated.” Jacqueline also believes that some consumers are more loyal to mission-driven brand. While they make the initial purchase because they like the backpack’s design and quality, they may learn more about State’s philanthropic efforts over time. And if they feel good about their purchase, they are more likely to buy another backpack in the future. Utimately, Scot hasn’t given up on the idea that a business can be force for good in the world. Some companies were clearly serious about their mission, given how quickly they abandoned their philanthropic efforts. But others have stayed the course regardless of the political climate, including Patagonia, Levi’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and Costco. And these companies can continue have a positive impact on many people at a time when many nonprofits are dealing with cuts to their funding. “Many communities that are struggling because companies offered to help them but are now retreating,” he says. “We really need more companies to step up and fill in the gaps.”
Category:
E-Commerce
Artificial intelligence is a lively topic of conversation in schools and workplaces, which could lead you to believe that only younger people use it. However, older Americans are also using AI. This raises the questions of what theyre doing with the technology and what they think of it. Im a researcher who studies older age, disability, and technology use. I partnered with the University of Michigans National Poll on Healthy Aging to survey nearly 3,000 Americans over the age of 50. We asked them whether and how they use AI and what concerns they have about using it. Of the older people we surveyed, 55% responded that they had used some type of AI technology that they can speak to, like Amazons Alexa voice assistant, or type to, like OpenAIs ChatGPT chatbot. Voice assistants were overwhelmingly more popular than text chatbots: Half of them reported using a voice assistant within the past year, compared to one in four who used a chatbot. Popular, among some Independent living continues to be a major goal of older Americans as they either do not want to or are unable to afford to live in long-term care communities, and AI may be a tool to support this goal. Our findings show that older adults who use AI in their homes find it helpful for living independently and safely. They mostly used these technologies for entertainment or searching for information, but some of their responses show more creative uses, such as generating text, creating images, or planning vacations. Nearly one in three older adults reported using AI-powered home security devices, including doorbells, outdoor cameras, and alarm systems. Nearly all of those people96%felt safer using them. While there has been some concern about privacy when using cameras indoors to monitor older people, cameras aimed outdoors seem to provide a sense of security for those who may be aging in their homes alone or without family nearby. Of the 35% of older adults who reported using AI-powered home security systems, 96% said they were beneficial. However, when we dove into which older adults are using AI, we saw that demographics matter. Specifically, those in better health, with more education, and higher incomes were more likely to have used AI-powered voice assistants and home security devices in the past year. This pattern seems to follow adoption trends of other technologies such as smartphones. Trusting AI is tricky As more information about AIs accuracy emerges, so do questions about whether people can trust it. Our survey results show that older Americans are split on whether to trust content that was generated by AI: 54% said they trust AI, and 46% said they do not. People who trusted AI more were more likely to have used some type of AI technology within the past year. Further, AI-generated content can sometimes look correct but be inaccurate. Being able to identify incorrect information from AI is important for assessing whether and how to use AI-generated search results or chatbots. However, only half of the older people surveyed were confident that they could identify whether content from AI was incorrect. More educated users were more likely to say they felt confident they could spot inaccuracies. Conversely, older adults who reported lower levels of physical and mental health were less likely to trust AI-generated content. What to do? Together, these findings repeat a common cycle of technology adoption that is pervasive even among younger demographics, where more educated and healthy people are among the first to adopt and be aware of newer technologies. This raises questions about how best to reach all older people about the benefits and risks of AI. How can older people who are not AI users get support for learning more so that they can make informed decisions about whether to use it? How can institutions develop better training and awareness tools so that older people who trust AI avoid trusting it too much or inappropriately using AI to make important decisions without understanding the risks? Our survey results highlight potential starting points for developing AI literacy tools for older adults. Nine in ten older people wanted to know when information had been generated by AI. We are starting to see AI labels on search engine results, such as Google searchs AI snippets. Michigan and other states have adopted policies for disclosing AI content in political ads, but these notices could be made more visible in other contexts, such as nonpolitical advertising and on social media. Further, nearly 80% of older people wanted to learn more about AI riskswhere might it go wrong and what to do about it. Policymakers can focus on enforcing AI notices that signal content was generated by AI, particularly at a critical time when the U.S. is considering revising its AI policies to do just the oppositeremoving language about risk, discrimination, and misinformationbased on a new executive order. Overall, our findings show that AI can support healthy aging. However, overtrust and mistrust of AI could be addressed with better training tools and policies to make risks more visible. Robin Brewer is an associate professor of information at the University of Michigan. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
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