The everyday AI race deserves more attention

Thanks to a thought-provoking piece in The Economist by Rishi Sunak, Former British Prime Minister, on the AI race, here’s a reality check we can’t ignore.

We’re Chasing the Wrong AI Race

Politicians love to hype the US-China sprint to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). It makes headlines. It fuels fear. But it distracts from the race that will actually decide our future: who wins “everyday AI.”

And right now? Most countries are sleepwalking.

Hard truths no one wants to admit:

Corporate leaders are failing. Too many CEOs still treat AI as an IT experiment instead of a business transformation imperative. If AI sits in the CIO’s corner, you have already lost.
Governments are asleep at the wheel. With 40% of GDP in OECD countries flowing through public services, you would expect states to lead adoption. Instead, they bury AI under bureaucracy and fear.
Regulators are strangling progress. Europe’s AI Act and copycat laws risk smothering innovation before diffusion even begins, turning adoption into a compliance nightmare.
Education is irrelevant to the urgent problem. By 2030, 80% of the workforce is already working. Schools cannot fix this. We need mass reskilling for employees now, not promises for tomorrow’s graduates.
⚠Leaders lack courage. Citizens fear AI because leaders whisper about risks but rarely articulate benefits with vision. People will not adopt what they distrust.
⚠Here is the truth: one nation will “win” AGI. But any nation can dominate everyday AI. And those that do not will bleed competitiveness, growth, and influence.
If you are a leader in government or business and you are not reshaping your organization around AI right now, you are already behind. Everyday AI is the race that matters. And it is already underway.