Essays and thought leadership on AI, product strategy and transformation.https://mikecbetts.com/en-gbhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-next-ai-winners-may-not-look-like-software-companies-at-all/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-next-ai-winners-may-not-look-like-software-companies-at-all/Reliance just made one of the more interesting AI announcements of the week. Not because of the Jio IPO. Because of something fundamental.Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTReliancesovereign AIAI infrastructuretelecomsIndiaambient AIhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/from-powerpoints-to-prototypes/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/from-powerpoints-to-prototypes/The people with most to gain from a deeper experience of generative AI are the ones with the least opportunity to get it: The C suite.Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTC-suiteAI workshopsprototypingAI adoptionleadershiphttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/silos-of-one/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/silos-of-one/Workflow engineering is a leadership job – it depends on seeing the entire end-to-end value creation chain, and having the power to change it.Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTworkflow engineeringAI at scalecollaborationMiroorganisational designhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/thinking-needs-a-gym/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/thinking-needs-a-gym/Every major technology replaced the dominant tool of the previous era. None of them replaced the human need underneath. Is this time any different?Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTgenerative AIcritical thinkingcognitive fitnesswritinghttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-factory-floor-is-the-curriculum/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-factory-floor-is-the-curriculum/What's harder than building a humanoid robot that works on a factory floor? Building a factory floor that's ready for one.Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTPhysical AIAI deploymentOrganisational readinesshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-measurement-problem-why-ai-is-stuck-at-01-percent/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-measurement-problem-why-ai-is-stuck-at-01-percent/BoA just published a report calling AI bigger than electricity and the internet combined. But AI is currently lifting productivity by just 0.1% per year.Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMTAI transformationAI productivityOrganisational redesignhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-futures-four-predictions-for-2027/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-futures-four-predictions-for-2027/Two and a half years ago, no-one was talking about synthetic users, AI-generated UGC or AI agents. What will we be discussing in 2027, that is not even on the horizon today?Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMTAI futuresAI predictionsBrain-computer interfaceshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-agents-will-be-massive/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-agents-will-be-massive/Right now, AI agents are like an early-stage gold rush. Everyone knows there's something huge here, but no-one's quite sure how to extract the real value.Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMTAI agentsAI product strategyAI automationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-power-of-long-term-thinking/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-power-of-long-term-thinking/Maybe in the generative AI era, the furious pace of development and off-boarding of employees will be accompanied by a renewed interest in long-term thinking and societal responsibility.Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTLong-term strategyAI transformationInnovation strategyhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/why-are-we-gatekeeping-generative-ai/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/why-are-we-gatekeeping-generative-ai/The truth is that generative AI should be 'for everyone' – especially since one of the biggest shifts is the way it allows you to interact fully in natural language – no coding skills required.Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTAI accessibilityGenerative AI adoptionAI democratisationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/could-ai-avatars-become-digital-serfs/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/could-ai-avatars-become-digital-serfs/HeyGen just announced 500+ community-generated AI avatars, which is really exciting progress. But it got me thinking about the future of content creation and fair compensation.Mon, 06 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTAI avatarsAI personas and digital twinsCreator economyhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/how-good-is-deep-seek/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/how-good-is-deep-seek/Deep Seek, the new Chinese LLM, is impressive. But don't jump ship from your preferred AI tools and models just yet – here's why.Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMTLLM comparisonAI product evaluationGenerative AI applicationshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/seo-is-dead-long-live-search-agent-marketing/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/seo-is-dead-long-live-search-agent-marketing/If your business performance relies on SEO or SEM, prepare yourself for shock and disruption.Fri, 22 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI and SEOLLM discoverabilitySearch agent marketinghttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-perfect-storm-for-german-automotive-manufacturers/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-perfect-storm-for-german-automotive-manufacturers/VW closing three plants, Porsche profits down 40%, Mercedes in trouble, budget deficit for 2025 hitting €13.5bn (due to lower tax revenues).Tue, 05 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMTGerman industryAI transformationAI roboticshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-day-of-reckoning-has-finally-arrived/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-day-of-reckoning-has-finally-arrived/This week's news about potential VW factory closures sent shockwaves far and wide. How will Germany fare if its stake in the automotive industry declines, and the next wave of innovation is one in which it has no stake?Sat, 07 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMTGerman innovationAI transformationAI roboticshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/leveraging-a-team-of-llms/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/leveraging-a-team-of-llms/Now you can leverage multiple LLMs, for free, to help you get the best genAI deliverable while you experiment and choose your preferred infrastructure.Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTMultiple LLMsAI content strategyGenerative AI applicationshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/hiring-in-the-genai-era/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/hiring-in-the-genai-era/Even in a self-proclaimed 'AI business', understanding how to leverage genAI is not always widely distributed across the organisation.Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI in product managementGenerative AI adoptionAI hiringhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/search-is-dead-long-live-genai/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/search-is-dead-long-live-genai/"I never use Google search for anything any more." 18 year old at a gallery during Berlin Art Week yesterday. Basically, search is broken.Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI searchAI agentsGoogle disruptionhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-meaning-of-team-is-changing/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-meaning-of-team-is-changing/The meaning of 'team' in 2024 has radically changed.Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMTOrganisational design for AIHuman-AI collaborationFuture of workhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-15k-domestic-butler/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-15k-domestic-butler/Last week's unveil of the Figure 01 was jaw-dropping. But the implications of industrialising this technology are even more breath-taking.Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI roboticsAI hardwareInnovation strategyhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/a-david-fincher-esque-take-on-genai-in-the-creative-industry/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/a-david-fincher-esque-take-on-genai-in-the-creative-industry/In the vibrant yet cutthroat advertising landscape of San Francisco, two agencies, Quantum Creative and Narrative Edge, embarked on markedly different paths with the advent of generative AI, setting a dramatic stage reminiscent of a David Fincher narrative – complete with tension, intrigue, and an enlightening twist.Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTGenerative AI in advertisingAI ethicsCreative industry transformationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/what-era-are-we-in/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/what-era-are-we-in/Most people had never used a mobile phone in 1984. And most of them wouldn't have wanted to.Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI adoptionTechnology cyclesAI transformationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/faster-cheaper-better/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/faster-cheaper-better/There seems to be a lot of panic on social media about the impact of generative AI on the creative industry. This was triggered by Sam Altman being quoted as saying that generative AI will do "95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today."Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI and creative industryAI transformationInnovation strategyhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/quick-mvp-of-synthetic-audio-and-video-content/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/quick-mvp-of-synthetic-audio-and-video-content/I've been wanting to try this for a while, ever since I got my HeyGen account activated last year, and am very excited to finally have time to conduct and share my experiment.Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTSynthetic mediaAI video and audioAI prototypinghttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/buckle-up-for-the-wild-ai-content-ride/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/buckle-up-for-the-wild-ai-content-ride/The signs are that AI-generated content of all types will explode in 2024. The chart below is just an indication (based on fake and possibly AI-generated reviews on Trip Advisor), but Amazon last year already had to limit the amount of self-published books an author could release – to 3 per day.Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI-generated contentAI content curationLLM discoverabilityhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/two-sides-of-the-genai-coin/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/two-sides-of-the-genai-coin/It feels like the last 24 hours are showcasing two very different sides of generative AI. On the one hand we have the excitement and transformational utility of the new ChatGPT app store, on the other we have some of the first public announcements of "offboarding" directly caused by generative AI replacing work previously performed by humans.Thu, 11 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMTAI and employmentAI marketplaceAI transformationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/mind-melds-with-matter-the-advent-of-thought-to-text/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/mind-melds-with-matter-the-advent-of-thought-to-text/An article in the New Scientist caught my eye this morning. It announced that EEG technology and AI have been combined to create a non-invasive thought-to-text device. The initial 40% accuracy rate is already increasing to 60% in the latest studies – so this has great potential – despite the ground still to be covered.Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTBrain-computer interfacesAI and neurotechnologyFuture of human-AI interactionhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/from-polls-to-pixels-ais-march-into-politics/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/from-polls-to-pixels-ais-march-into-politics/Often it's the sex industry taking the lead in adopting new technology, but when it comes to generative AI, the political establishment seems to be one of the first movers.Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI and politicsDeepfakesAI ethicshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/chatgptwinterwoes/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/chatgptwinterwoes/When I read about the 'lazy holiday' traits that ChatGPT has been exhibiting recently, I wasn't sure if it was real. But I tested, validated and found a simple solution.Fri, 15 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTLLM behaviourPrompt engineeringGenerative AI applicationshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-future-of-web-integration/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/the-future-of-web-integration/As often happens, while reading an article in the FT app this morning, I speculated about some interesting possibilities that I wanted to integrate into my work.Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI web integrationAI workflow automationGenerative AI applicationshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/lights-camera-ai-revolutionizing-celebrity-ads/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/lights-camera-ai-revolutionizing-celebrity-ads/I came across this ad in a magazine in my hotel room yesterday, and it caught my imagination in terms of the future of AI celebrities.Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI in advertisingSynthetic mediaCreative industry transformationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/introducing-message-mentor/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/introducing-message-mentor/Did you ever dread sending a message or email involving a sensitive or complex topic? Did you ever send one and wish afterwards that you had worded it more effectively? Introducing ✨Message Mentor✨...Wed, 06 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTCustom GPTsAI applicationsAI communication toolshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-meets-ip-what-does-this-mean-for-publishing/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/ai-meets-ip-what-does-this-mean-for-publishing/Last weekend, ChatGPT and I created "Julianne Hartley", a charming AI-author stirring hearts with "Whispers in the Mist", first chapter published on Wattpad.Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI and intellectual propertyAI-generated contentPublishing transformationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/treating-gpts-as-a-sandpit/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/treating-gpts-as-a-sandpit/My approach to learning how to get the most out of generative AI, including understanding its limitations and how to work around them, is to experiment as much as possible – on low-risk use cases.Tue, 05 Dec 2023 00:00:00 GMTCustom GPTsGenerative AI adoptionAI experimentationhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/beyond-the-hype-how-i-learned-to-maximize-generative-ai-in-everyday-life/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/beyond-the-hype-how-i-learned-to-maximize-generative-ai-in-everyday-life/I'm often surprised by how many super smart, capable people are not yet consistently using generative AI in their day-to-day workflows, but I think I know the reason why.Thu, 30 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTGenerative AI adoptionAI productivityPractical AI applicationshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/redefiningcreativity/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/redefiningcreativity/In 2019, Sebastian Errazuriz predicted that 90% of architects will lose their jobs to AI. He didn't comment on designers, but I collaborated with ChatGPT to construct a realistic future scenario…Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI and designCreative industry transformationFuture of workhttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/revolutionisingrecruitment/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/revolutionisingrecruitment/For many, recent job losses haven't yet been offset by new opportunities. So when OpenAI opened up their GPT Builder, building a GPT that helps people who are looking for work right now seemed like a natural test case.Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI in recruitmentCustom GPTsAI-powered toolshttps://mikecbetts.com/notes/unmasking-bias-in-ai-imagery-a-struggle-for-gender-equality/https://mikecbetts.com/notes/unmasking-bias-in-ai-imagery-a-struggle-for-gender-equality/OK, I've read about this, but first time I've experienced it – generative AI can be super biased when creating images.Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:00:00 GMTAI biasAI ethicsAI-generated imagery