Don’t Scale the Chaos: Why AI Needs Strategy First

There’s a subtle illusion showing up in boardrooms, brainstorms, and brand decks everywhere right now: AI is the answer. It will fix every broken workflow, scale personalization, increase retention, and automate away every inefficiency in sight.

But here’s the problem: AI doesn’t solve broken strategy. It scales it.

Before launching Dalziel & Co, I spent years leading complex digital builds—enterprise websites, intranets, and backend systems that exposed operational flaws most teams didn’t know they had. And I learned early on: technology can’t fix what isn’t clearly defined. In fact, it amplifies those flaws.

We’re entering a new chapter where AI is more polished and capable. It can do a lot. But if you don’t have clarity on what you’re solving, who you’re solving it for, or how your systems support those goals… AI just makes the dysfunction louder.

The future isn’t about handing over your business to AI.
It’s about training AI to serve a strategy you actually understand.

I unpack all of this—and what it means for service-driven businesses—in my latest piece on Refine, my Substack for thoughtful leaders navigating strategy, growth, and client experience in an AI-driven world.