I. That walking USB is quietly resigning.
There is a type of employee that every company has, but few people realize how important they are.
He's neither an engineer nor a salesperson. He's the kind of person who "knows a little bit about every system." He investigates ERP problems, handles exporting CRM data, cobbles together reports the boss needs using Excel, and can even reconcile the factory's MES data with the figures in the financial system.
This person has a rather unpleasant name:Walking USB.
His value lies not in how smart he is, but in the fact that he is the only bridge between various systems. ERP has its own language, CRM has its own logic, HRM, POS, and MES each speak their own language, and the data transfer, conversion, and analysis in between are all handled by this person on his own.
Then one day, he resigned. He took not just one person with him, but the entire set of operating logic that existed only in his mind.
This is not an isolated case. This is the result of the past twenty years of digitalization in Taiwanese enterprises, where systems have become increasingly numerous and complex, yet no one has ever designed them from a holistic perspective. Each system may have been the best solution for a particular department at the time, but when all departments are combined, the result is the worst solution for the whole.
The arrival of the AI wave is not about solving this problem, but about making this problem impossible to ignore.
II. Lessons from the Lobster's Sudden Popularity, and What It Didn't Tell You
The hottest topic in Taiwan's tech circle recently is an "AI lobster"—OpenClaw.
This open-source tool has evolved AI from simply "answering questions" to "actually doing things": it can directly control your computer, organize emails, move files, and even complete tasks online for you. Its popularity is simple: it automates tasks that previously required you to stare at a screen and click through steps.
Individual users exclaimed in surprise, "How much time can this save us in the future!"
This exclamation is not wrong. But it is missing the second half.
A salesperson used AI Lobster to organize emails three times faster, but if the company's pricing process and customer management logic are inherently chaotic, even if he's three times faster, he's still doing ineffective work.
This is the most fundamental difference between personal tools and organizational capabilities.
AI tools undeniably boost individual efficiency. However, they don't automatically make organizations smarter. In fact, they might widen knowledge gaps within organizations. Those who understand will thrive, while those who don't will fall behind, leading to higher collaboration costs.
Currently, a large number of AI courses on the market teach this level of content: five Prompt techniques to double your efficiency, learn ChatGPT in ten minutes, automate your workflow with AI Lobster… These courses sell very well because they…It provides an instant sense of accomplishment..
But three months later, this tool was replaced by a newer one. You had to learn it all over again.
Those who learn tools are always chasing after something. Those who learn principles are always riding the crest of every wave.
III. The Two Sides of AI Education: Who Sells the Bricks, and Who Builds the House?
When any sector enters a period of rapid growth, the market will automatically split into two types of suppliers:A true architect, and a brick seller.
Selling bricks is not wrong; bricks are needed to build houses. But the problem is that many students pay architect's tuition but only receive one brick in return.
The market for tool-based teaching is so large, partly because of the students themselves. Humans are naturally inclined to prefer tangible, immediate rewards. Learning a skill that can be used today gives you a sense of accomplishment. Learning "how to determine the boundaries of AI capabilities or how to design a process that can be replicated within an organization" only becomes worthwhile three months later, which doesn't feel worthwhile.
Therefore, what the market gives is, to some extent, the result of students voting with their money.
But here's a harsher reality:Truly insightful teachers find it difficult to survive in this market. Because what he teaches "feels slow," it puts companies at a disadvantage in algorithmic recommendation and word-of-mouth marketing. In a 30-second video, it's difficult to explain why businesses need architectural thinking rather than tools.
This issue is even more acute for business owners and senior executives.
For individuals learning AI tools, the worst outcome is a waste of time and tuition. But for companies investing in AI transformation, if the direction is wrong, what is wasted is the organization's time, employees' trust, and the window of opportunity that could have been used to build a competitive advantage.
IV. Why is it so difficult to implement AI in enterprises? It's not a technical problem.
After discussing AI implementation with many business owners, I've observed a pattern.
The fundamental reason for the difficulty in implementation is not technology, but...People.
The first dilemma:The task is unclearThe company announced it would "implement AI," but no one defined what success would look like. Employees learned a bunch of tools, but when they returned to their jobs, they didn't know where to apply them. This isn't the employees' problem; it's that the decision-makers haven't clearly explained what problem they're trying to solve.
The second dilemma:The immune system of tissuesA voice inside employees whispers, "If I automate this process, what about me?" This fear is real, but few dare to voice it openly. It manifests in a more subtle way. Cooperation is high, but execution is always just a hair's breadth off—the data just happens to be missing, or the system just happens to have a problem. This isn't deliberate sabotage; it's a natural human reaction to a threat.
The third dilemma:No architectThere are people in the organization who understand the business, and people who understand IT, but almost no one can understand all three levels simultaneously: what the business logic is, how data flows between systems, and in which环节 AI can intervene to replace human intervention. Such a person, who can bridge the gap between business, IT, and AI, is extremely rare in the market, or so expensive that companies cannot afford to employ them.
Therefore, the dilemmas faced by enterprises in promoting AI ultimately point to the same fundamental problem:No one can define what AI should do, or who should take over after it's done.
Fifth, peace of mind is the starting point.
Many discussions about AI transformation tend to use fear to drive action: "Your competitors are already using AI" or "If you don't transform, you will be eliminated."
The logic itself is not wrong, but it creates anxiety, not motivation.
Anxious people will buy courses, listen to lectures, and forward articles, but they won't make decisions.
What truly motivates business owners to take the first step is not fear, but...peace of mind.
Peace of mind isn't about comforting you with "It's okay, take your time." Peace of mind is a stable state of mind:The trend of AI is irreversible, but that doesn't mean you have to completely transform your company today. It means you need to find a low-risk starting point where you can see for yourself that it's truly feasible.
This starting point doesn't need to be a grand system integration plan. It can be a department, a process, or a specific pain point. Find it, solve it, and create a real success story within the organization.
This small success was the fuse for the entire transformation. It wasn't the end, but rather the moment when people began to believe, "This is something our company can do."
Trust is the essence of business. The fastest way to build trust is not through grand promises, but through small, real, and verifiable results.
VI. Unique fighting techniques are the true moat.
Now, I'd like to take a longer-term perspective.
Standardized systems exist for a reason. SAP's processes are best practices earned through the hard work and sacrifice of thousands of companies. Implementing standardization is like learning Shaolin Kung Fu—it provides solid techniques and avoids unnecessary detours.
But AI has fundamentally changed one thing:Building systems has become incredibly easy.
When construction costs are significantly reduced, there is no reason for companies to buy a standardized product that is "made for a hundred companies, resulting in a hundred and one different requirements, and the system becomes larger and more bloated."
More importantly: if everyone uses the same tools and runs the same processes, where is the competitive advantage?
In the AI era, competitive advantage no longer comes from "who uses better tools," but from "who has a deeper understanding of their own business and can turn deeper insights into system logic."
This insight is the culmination of your years of experience in this industry, the result of every conversation you've had with clients, and the wisdom gained from every pitfall you've encountered. It's a truly irreplaceable competitive advantage. This is your unique weapon.
While your competitors are still learning how to use tools, you are already transforming your business wisdom into system logic—once this gap widens, it is very difficult to catch up.
7. The person who can help you develop your fighting style is called an architect.
At this point, there is a practical problem that must be addressed:Who will do this?
Developing a unique fighting style requires a special kind of person who understands both human nature (right brain) and logic (left brain); who can perceive the organization's implicit reality and transform it into the system's explicit structure; who can communicate with the boss using business language and then discuss API integration with engineers.
I call this personarchitectHe is a translator between technical and human languages, a bridge between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Such people are almost non-existent in the market, or they are too expensive for small and medium-sized enterprises to afford.
So the other way is:Let the architect accompany you on your journeyIt's not about outsourcing or consulting reports; it's about working with your internal team. It's about transforming your company's business logic, process pain points, and current system status step by step into a functional, automated architecture.
The key point is that this process is not just about solving problems, but about...Develop your company's own capabilitiesBecause architects will eventually leave, what remains is your team learning how to move forward on their own.
This is a three-month journey:
The first month, peace of mindEstablish a foundation of understanding, conduct a current assessment, and create your first success story. Show your team that "this is feasible in our company."
The second month, expansionIdentify the core processes and construct an automated network of points, lines, and surfaces. This involves moving from single-point breakthroughs to process integration and organizational consolidation.
In the third month, autonomyEnable your team to maintain and optimize the system themselves. The ultimate goal of an architect is to become unnecessary.
8. Today, are you willing to give yourself a starting point?
I've met many bosses who, after hearing this line of thinking, nodded and said, "I understand, it makes a lot of sense."
Then nothing happened.
It's not that they lack vision, but rather that they haven't found a low-risk starting point. They've seen too many stories of consultants coming in, collecting money, creating a system, and then nobody using it. Their conservatism is something the market has taught them.
So I'm not asking you to "believe you deserve to have your own unique style"—that kind of motivational appeal.
I'm talking about something more practical:Find the spot that hurts the most and get it moving first.
No need for a complete transformation. No need to buy a bunch of tools first.Including hardwareAll you need is a specific problem, someone willing to try, and an architect willing to run alongside you.
The trend of AI is irreversible. But the way you start is your own choice.
Only after you feel at peace can you ignite the flame.
