A fully autonomous, AI-only firm is not yet a reality—but major investments and technological progress are paving the way. Here’s how firms can compete against these uniquely capable rivals.

Most companies slow down as they mature, but stagnation is not inevitable. In a global study of 848 firms, BCG identified 99 that reignited their momentum, delivering breakout growth—sustained performance that far outpaced peers while also improving profitability.

"If all we’ve done since 1800 was automation, we would have productive agriculture and cheap textiles—but not much else. We would not have antibiotics, vaccines, computers, or rockets. […] So, we need to begin to find use cases for AI that are not just about automation, if productivity growth from AI is going to be sustained."

It’s not just GenAI. Tools alone won’t unleash innovation—companies must complement new technologies with robust systems to test and scale the best ideas.

"Some are questioning the integrity of the elites, across different domains in life. With that happening, why don’t we just throw out the whole status system? And the short answer is: because we can’t!"

"Thinking about AI only at the level of what it does to my job is missing the picture. […] AI can change the nature of competition, due to that organizational systems will have to change for what is needed to compete, and jobs accordingly will have to shift in response to that."