Introduction Speech by Riri Satria -  FGD on AI and Business Strategy

Ladies and gentlemen,

We often say that strategy is a high-level, long-term plan designed to achieve specific goals under uncertainty. It is about making deliberate choices, setting priorities, and allocating limited resources. Strategy answers a fundamental question: how do we create unique value, and how do we sustain an advantage in a world that keeps changing?

At its essence, strategy is not about doing more. It is about choosing differently. It is about deciding what truly matters, and just as importantly, what we are willing to let go.

Yet, from my experience, strategy is frequently misunderstood. Many assume it is the final product of planning, the outcome of workshops, frameworks, and carefully designed roadmaps. I believe the opposite is true. Strategy is not the consequence of planning; it is the starting point. Planning comes after we have the courage to choose a direction.

The real challenge in crafting strategy lies in our ability to sense weak signals, subtle discontinuities that are barely visible today but may fundamentally reshape the future. These discontinuities often emerge at the edges: changes in technology, shifts in customer behavior, new regulatory pressures, or unexpected competitors from outside the industry. Detecting them requires no sophisticated software. It requires a sharp mind, intellectual curiosity, and a deep connection to reality.

This is why strategy is as much an art as it is a discipline.

However, strategy without execution is fragile. It remains an idea that sometimes elegant, sometimes inspiring, but ultimately powerless. Without execution, strategy risks becoming what I would call a collective hallucination: something everyone believes in, yet no one truly lives. Sun Tzu warned us long ago that tactics without strategy are merely the noise before defeat. But in today’s organizations, strategy without execution is the silence before decline.

Execution is where strategy meets resistance. It is where assumptions collide with human behavior, organizational politics, legacy systems, and cultural inertia. This is also where many strategies fail, not because they are wrong, but because they underestimate the difficulty of changing what is already comfortable and familiar.

History offers us powerful reminders. Mark Zuckerberg once said that the biggest risk is not taking risks. In fast-moving environments, caution can be more dangerous than boldness. Steve Jobs consistently emphasized that innovation is not a luxury, it is a necessity for survival.  Jack Welch delivered a brutally honest message, if you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. These statements are not slogans. They are strategic warnings.

Without a clear strategy, organizations often fall into the trap of operational effectiveness. They focus on improving efficiency, cutting costs, optimizing processes, but doing the same things as everyone else, just a little better. While operational excellence is important, it is not sufficient. Strategy requires trade-offs. It demands hard choices. It forces leaders to say “no” to good ideas in order to fully commit to the few that truly matter.

Now, let us bring this discussion into the era we are living in the era of artificial intelligence.

For me, business strategy in the age of AI is no longer a static plan. It is a dynamic roadmap. It embeds artificial intelligence, data analytics, and automation into the core of the organization, not as support tools, but as strategic capabilities. The goal is not merely efficiency. The goal is transformation.

AI shifts strategy from prediction to continuous learning, from periodic decision-making to real-time responsiveness. It enables new business models, hyper-personalized customer experiences, and faster, evidence-based decisions at scale. In this context, strategy becomes a living system rather than a fixed document.

An AI-driven business strategy rests on several critical pillars.

First, continuous, data-driven adaptation. Traditional strategies assume relative stability over time. AI challenges this assumption. Strategy must now evolve continuously, informed by real-time data and intelligent insights. Agility is no longer optional; it is strategic.

Second, operational optimization and innovation. AI can dramatically improve internal processes—supply chains, forecasting, human resources, and customer service. But its true power lies in innovation: discovering new sources of value, new offerings, and entirely new ways to serve customers.

Third, strategic resource allocation. AI is not cheap, and it is not neutral. Organizations must make conscious choices about where to invest—data infrastructure, AI talent, partnerships, and platforms. These investments must be aligned with strategic intent, not driven by hype.

Fourth, ethical and responsible AI. As AI becomes more influential, governance becomes a strategic imperative. Issues of bias, transparency, security, and accountability can no longer be delegated solely to technical teams. They define trust, reputation, and long-term legitimacy.

Fifth, human–machine collaboration. The future of strategy is not about humans versus machines. It is about humans with machines. AI should augment human judgment, not replace it—enhancing our ability to think, decide, and act in complex environments.

Ultimately, success in the AI era requires more than adopting chatbots or automating isolated tasks. It requires treating AI as a foundational technology, one that reshapes how organizations think, learn, and compete. This transformation demands a cultural shift toward digital literacy, experimentation, and continuous learning.

In closing, strategy gives us direction. Execution gives us credibility, and courage  to choose, to take risks, and to let go gives us relevance.

In an age defined by uncertainty and intelligence at scale, those who can align strategy, execution, and human judgment will not only survive, they will shape the future.

Thank you.