AI is Here—Lead, Adapt, or Be Left Behind.

Another transformative revolution is upon us and for good. Like always, we don’t have many choices but to adapt to the change and progress with the world or just look on, remain comfortable and let fate determine our course.

In 2013, during one of our staff strategy and culture meetings, I made a recommendation to our business, to embrace cloud computing for storage to solve our data backup challenges. Laughter erupted—it sounded like a joke but it wasn’t. I was dead serious about it.

Three years earlier, I had travelled to Finland and Estonia to attend conferences on technology and mobile advancements. During one of the conference sessions in Finland, Vesa-matti Paananem, Microsoft Corporation’s Business Development Executive, at the time, delivered a compelling presentation on cloud computing. I was left in awe, but most importantly, I was inspired to drive change back home in Uganda —to tell the story and shift perspectives on digital storage and transformation. After Vesa-matti’s presentation, I caught up with him for an interview that led to more in-depth understanding of cloud computing.

The ‘joke’ becomes a reality.

Fast-forward to 2022—nearly a decade after my perceived ‘cloud joke’—fireworks Advertising fully embraced cloud computing, moving most of our data to the digital cloud. This was made possible by expanding data centres and companies like Microsoft and Amazon, which made cloud solutions accessible to African businesses. As an indigenous Ugandan brand, we took pride in getting our cloud computing services from Roke Telkom, a homegrown internet service provider with global partners.

A.I is here to stay.

But today, we’re even more proud to be part of a revolution sweeping across the globe—Artificial Intelligence (AI) – thanks to Google, Open AI and Deep Seek and more.

AI is here to stay—at least for the next 50 years before another technological disruption emerges. Simply put, A.I refers to the ability of computers to perform tasks traditionally done by humans, but at speeds 1000 times faster and, in many cases, with superior accuracy, depending on the language model used.

Today, AI dominates boardroom discussions, academic debates, and business conversations worldwide. Organizations across the globe are actively integrating AI into their operations. While AI seems like a recent phenomenon in Africa—especially Uganda—it has been around for some time. In 2017, Google and TotalEnergies (then Total) partnered to develop corporate AI solutions. For firms like these, AI is not a trend and a no-brainer but a business enabler, driving efficiency and competitiveness.

For millions of others, however, AI is just beginning—a game whose finish line is still out of sight. But one thing is certain: AI must be embraced or at least explored, as it is already transforming business operations, service delivery, and speed of execution.

According to a McKinsey Survey and report, Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential, 72% of companies have adopted AI in at least one business function and the number of businesses using generative AI are even more.

The AI market is estimated to have grown by $184 billion in 2024 according to data from Stastia- demonstrating growth in usage and global demand for AI and generative AI for businesses and individuals.

Leaders must take the first step.

As leaders, we must take the first step in guiding our organizations through AI transformation, despite its imperfections. The time to act is now—not tomorrow.

One thing for sure is that there’s no perfect formula for adopting AI and its sister Generative AI. We all have to navigate this transition using the very tools AI provides. Here’s how:

1. Acknowledge that AI is here—not as a threat, but as a tool to enhance business performance and deliver value faster.
2. Study the landscape and identify AI tools relevant to your business and customers.
3. Begin experimenting with AI for learning purposes, then gradually integrate it into your workflows.
4. Provide both human capital and financial resources to get the work done.

You don’t have to break the bank.

One of AI’s greatest advantages is accessibility—you can start using it for free as long as you have an internet connection. However, unlocking its full potential often requires investment through monthly or annual subscriptions. Allocating a small annual budget to experiment with AI could be the key to placing your business on a growth trajectory powered by the future. Depending on which industry you play in, even $500 could give you a headstart on many platforms for a pilot that will deliver impact. The alternative? Cling to the status quo and wait until reality forces your hand.

At fireworks Advertising and brainchild Burson, we are proudly embracing AI and Generative AI, actively encouraging every staff, our clients and partners to do the same. We’ve integrated AI into marketing, content development, data intelligence, analytics, and insights. Our goal is to get everyone on board—twende pamoja (let’s move as one).

So, as leaders, we have to take the first step, engage and encourage our teams to embrace it. Set the rules of the game, master them, and harness AI’s power to drive business growth and success. McKinsey found that the biggest barrier to scaling AI is not employees -who are ready – but leaders who are not steering fast enough. So, let’s not let our teams and organisations down.