From my vantage point, perched above a thousand conversations, I see some shops excelling with AI and others dipping their toes in the water cautiously.
What's the difference? Read on to find out what they’re doing and what you can start doing today!
It’s Not the Tech. It’s the Mindset.
Some shops are spinning their wheels with AI, stuck in endless experiments that don’t go anywhere. Others are quietly getting faster, sharper, and more focused.
It’s not about who has the most tools or the best prompts. It’s about how they’re thinking about the work.
They’re not trying to scale. They’re trying to sharpen.
Instead of asking, “How can we do twice the work with half the team?” they’re asking, “How can we raise the floor on everything we create?”
They use AI to get to the second draft faster. To generate options. To gut-check ideas.
It’s not about cutting people. It’s about cutting waste.
They’re being loud internally, but quiet externally.
The successful teams are experimenting like crazy, but they’re not turning every experiment into a case study or a service offering... yet.
They’re learning in the background. Tuning the tech to fit their voice, values, and process.
By the time they do talk about it, they’ve got proof. Not just vibes.
They’ve got someone watching the watchers.
AI is a lot like hiring a new intern. Smart, fast, occasionally delusional.
The shops that are seeing success have someone responsible for reviewing outputs. And not just for quality but also for ethics, originality, and accuracy.
They treat AI like a collaborator that needs editing, not a king that gives final answers.
They’re using it where it’s boring.
Think meeting notes, recaps, standard copy, proposals, SEO tweaks.
They’re not trying to use AI just to write the next big brand story. They’re also using it to make the annoying parts of the job less painful.
And that’s giving them more time to be creative where it counts.
They’re inviting the whole team in.
Not just leadership. Not just devs.
They’ve created safe spaces for folks to test and play.
They’re having real conversations about what this means for everyone’s role. And they’re building trust instead of fear.
No silver bullet. No secret sauce. Just a steady commitment to getting a little smarter, a little faster, a little clearer.
And if you’re not sure where to begin, start by letting your team know it’s okay to try. To fail. To share what works. And what doesn’t.
If you're ready to dive in, consider coming to AI & Your Agency San Francisco this August. You'll get a boost to the front of the line.
I know a lot of folks are still on the fence about going all in on AI. Worried about doing it wrong. Concerned it might replace what makes their work special.
But I really believe avoiding it won’t protect anything. The only way through this evolution is by being part of it. Thoughtfully. Intentionally. Together.
You don’t need a master plan. You just need to get started.