What AI Can Replicate, but Never Replace
Let me start by correcting an error.
In my last newsletter about what will save your business from becoming AI‑extinct, I concluded, incorrectly, that AI‑created singers would never appear in a live concert. However, wearing my corporate turnaround specialist hat, I always strip a business down to its core fundamentals, and doing so often reveals that there is nothing new under the sun. The delivery medium may evolve, but the basic laws of supply and demand remain unchanged.
Introducing AI simply shifts one step in the music‑production value chain, but the core business engine remains the same.
Not following yet? Let’s look at an example where technology could have transformed an entire industry.
Lab-grown diamonds were invented in the 1950s, yet only in the late 2010s were they commercialized for the retail jewellery market. That’s a 60‑year gap between invention and meaningful impact on giants like De Beers, who continue to drive the diamond market alongside new entrants. What happened? A purely marketing‑driven distinction emerged between artificial and mined diamonds. Yes, prices fell as supply increased. But the broader value chain - the beneficiation, creativity, marketing engine, and the jeweller - remains largely unchanged.
In my previous article, I argued that wisdom is the first capability a business leader needs to survive in an AI‑dominated world.
Reading this, have you already spotted the second capability? If not, keep going.
Returning to the AI‑created singer: imagine they amass a following of millions. Now imagine the singer’s creator decides they will perform “live” only in highly specialized venues that support the medium: This could be The Sphere in Las Vegas, marketed as 580,000 square feet of LEDs, a canvas so bold you can see it from space. In that scenario, you would attend a live AI performance precisely because of the exclusivity.
Exclusivity is central to value. You can create a perfect carbon copy of a Da Vinci painting, but the original remains priceless.
Yes, AI can generate songs millions of times faster than any human. But therein lies the trap: when everyone can create a song, when creative production becomes limitless, the value drops, just as it did for lab-grown diamonds. Supply and demand will do what they always do. And the value of unique human creativity will rise again.
Here lies the second capability leaders need for the next decade: Creativity.
In my Conquer Your Mountains podcast (Week 10: Releasing Your Inner Artist), I outlined the key elements of creativity:
Creativity is the most fundamental leadership skill, enabling you to originate new solutions to old problems.
It requires you to create mental “pictures” of what could be. And then, like a film producer, stitch those images into a cohesive vision as you reimagine your business value chain.
Creativity demands rule‑breaking - transforming what was into what will be. It pushes you into new worlds that AI cannot access, because AI relies only on past and present knowledge. This is how I wrote my science‑fiction novel The Fallen Angel - by breaking many rules.
To be creative is to risk rejection and failure - but doing so also positions you as an agent of transformation. This is real‑world work, beyond simple AI prompts, though AI can certainly accelerate the process when used wisely.
Humans are born endlessly creative. Remember the paintings you made as a child? Worth nothing on the market, in my experience anyway, yet priceless to those who loved you. That innate ability is worth more than diamonds and can create unforgettable moments for your customers.
So, next time you face a business challenge, don’t ask AI for the answer.
If you do, your solution won’t be original.
Use AI as a tool. An accelerator, yes. A capable assistant, yes. An engine that will help you express ideas faster. But not as the final answer.
Your creativity is the differentiator.
Would you like to know more about how I use creativity to help unwell businesses? Head to my webpage: https://www.drmandlamoyo.com/turnaround-advisory