AX Field Notes #1

We use AI. So why hasn't the way we work changed?

Everyone has an AI account, and there's a chatbot in the company messenger. Yet approvals, reviews and reporting happen in exactly the same order as before. Many companies are at this point, so let's be clear about what AX is — and what it isn't.

The problem: AI on top, same work underneath

When we meet companies that have adopted AI, we keep seeing the same picture.

Everyone has an AI account, but only a few people use it.
There have been several PoCs, but none made it into operations.
Report drafts come faster, but approvals and reviews haven't changed.

Why: tools don't change the order of work

AI was added as a tool while the order of work stayed the same. A tool makes one step a bit faster; it doesn't change who does what, or in what order.

AX (AI Transformation) is not adding AI tools to the way you work. It is redesigning how software is built, how work gets done and how systems run — on the premise that AI does the work.

How it differs from DX

Put it next to digital transformation (DX) and the difference is clear.

Goal — DX moves analogue work into digital; AX redesigns digital work so AI performs it.
Who does the work — in DX people operate the system; in AX AI executes and people judge and approve.
System integration — in DX people use systems through screens; in AX AI agents call systems directly through interfaces such as APIs, CLIs and MCP (Model Context Protocol).
Success — DX asks 'did the system go live?'; AX asks 'did lead time, throughput and quality change?'

Three questions to tell if it's AX

You can check whether your AI adoption is really AX with three questions.

Does AI execute while people make the calls?
Are your business systems integrated with AI agents?
Do you measure the speed and quality of work, rather than the number of tools adopted?

What this series covers

AX Field Notes follows one project from the start: building a large system for a global automotive parts maker with AI doing the work. How we applied it, what changed, and where your company could begin.