AI isn’t failing, organisations are

AI’s True Challenge: Transforming Organizations for a New Era of Work

Steve Clemons, Editor-at-large for The National Interest, introduced May Habib, Co-Founder and CEO of Writer, to discuss how agentic AI is transforming large organizations, particularly Fortune 500 firms.

Ms. Habib highlighted that while agentic AI technology is incredibly powerful and AGI is effectively present, enterprises struggle significantly with its integration. Existing corporate structures, job roles, and processes, meticulously built for human execution, are ill-equipped for AI’s advanced capabilities. This necessitates a fundamental, decade-long effort to redesign and re-evaluate operational frameworks within organizations.

The core question for organizations isn’t about job displacement, but rather “what work is truly worth doing?” Decades of entrenched organizational rigidity and siloed systems have inadvertently stifled ambition and narrowed perspectives on valuable work. Writer actively helps clients elevate their strategic goals, moving beyond merely automating minor tasks to leveraging AI for comprehensive campaign orchestration and achieving broader, more impactful strategic objectives.

Writer itself exemplifies this internal transformation. Traditional departmental silos are actively breaking down, allowing employees, such as customer success managers, to directly build functional prototypes within the Writer platform. This agile approach effectively bypasses conventional product development stages, fostering rapid innovation and empowering individuals across the company to contribute more directly to product evolution.

Writer’s platform is designed to empower business users to design agents by simply describing their desired processes. These agents can seamlessly integrate diverse data sources, adhere to specific standard operating procedures, and make reasoned decisions based on defined outcomes. The strategic model emphasizes IT creating the secure “agentic arena” while business units retain the crucial role of defining the “plays” or specific applications.

A significant barrier to widespread AI adoption is the absence of explicit incentives for employees to disrupt their own established roles. Leaders must actively engage with and deeply understand AI’s transformative potential. Writer employs a “shock and awe” method, demonstrating to executives how AI can swiftly resolve their most pressing operational challenges, thereby securing top-level commitment and prioritization.

While extensive training is provided to hundreds of employees, only a small fraction, approximately 4-5%, become truly transformative agent designers. These key innovators often possess a unique blend of creativity, curiosity, and a pragmatic drive for efficiency. They are frequently found at lower organizational levels, equipped with essential business knowledge to guide AI decisions effectively and ensure practical, impactful outcomes.

Fortune 500 companies face significant disruption from agile, digital-native competitors. Despite inherent advantages like regulatory moats and strong brand distribution, these large firms must “rewire internally” to operate with startup-like agility. This fundamental adaptation is crucial for sustaining growth and fully harnessing agentic AI’s power to remain competitive in a rapidly changing market landscape.

Ms. Habib illustrated AI’s profound impact on her personal leadership style. Instead of querying her team for tactical information regarding users, customer status, or deal progress, she now directs these inquiries to her agents. This pivotal shift allows team meetings to focus on strategic, creative, and expansive discussions, moving beyond day-to-day operational details and fostering a more forward-looking environment.