The Big AI Secret. Chapter 4 Summary: The AI Dilemma - Quiet Wins, Loud Worries 📢
By Polly Barnfield, OBE, CEO of Maybe*
The Silent Competitive Advantage You're Giving Away
Seven in ten companies report measurable ROI from AI adoption. That's 70% - a clear majority seeing real business value.
Yet only 38% communicate this externally.
This gap-between what's working and what companies admit represents one of the most interesting patterns in our research. Companies are achieving AI wins but staying quiet about them, often driven by fear of brand perception.
Meanwhile, their competitors who communicate openly are building market positioning, attracting better talent, and winning more business.
The Fear/Reality Gap
The numbers reveal a massive disconnect:
The Reality:
70% of organisations report measurable AI ROI
84% of customers expect companies to use AI for better service
12% of marketers see consistent commercial outcomes from AI
The Fear:
61% worry about brand perception if they discuss AI openly
Teams stay quiet about AI usage in client communications
Success stories remain internal, not external
This creates a paradox: you're winning with AI, but your market doesn't know it. Your competitors are learning from your silence. Your potential clients are wondering if you're keeping up.
Why Companies Stay Quiet
Our interviews revealed several reasons for this AI silence:
1. Fear of the "Authenticity" Backlash
"What if our audience thinks we're replacing humans with machines?"
This fear is extreme in creative industries. Marketing agencies worry that revealing AI usage will make them seem less imaginative, less authentic, less human.
But here's what the data shows: 84% of customers expect companies to use AI to serve them better. The backlash you fear is often imagined, not real.
2. Competitive Concerns
"What if we reveal our AI strategy and competitors copy it?"
This is understandable but ultimately self-defeating. While you stay quiet, early adopters are:
Attracting AI-curious clients
Hiring AI-skilled talent who want to work at forward-thinking companies
Building thought leadership positioning
Getting feedback that makes their AI implementations better
3. Imposter Syndrome at Scale
"What if our AI usage isn't impressive enough to talk about?"
Many companies feel their AI implementations aren't sophisticated enough to warrant external communication. They're "just" using AI for content drafts, research, or data analysis-not building custom models or revolutionary applications.
But efficiency gains are gains. Time savings are savings. ROI is ROI. Your clients care about results, not complexity.
4. Legal and Compliance Uncertainty
"What if there are regulations we don't know about?"
Some companies stay quiet because they're unsure about legal implications of AI usage in their industry. This is valid in regulated sectors, but often overcautious in general marketing and business contexts.
“84% of bosses believe staff use AI secretly.”
What High-Performers Do Differently
The top-performing companies-those in the Transformer stage-approach AI transparency strategically:
1. They Communicate AI as a Capability Enhancement
Instead of saying "We use AI," they say "We use AI to deliver faster insights, more personalised campaigns, and better results for our clients."
The focus stays on outcomes, not tools. Benefits, not buzzwords.
2. They Share Specific Use Cases
High-performers are transparent about where and how they use AI:
"We use AI to analysze campaign performance across 50+ data points in real-time, allowing us to optimise your spend daily instead of monthly."
"Our AI-powered content research reduces planning time by 40%, which means we can test more creative concepts for your brand."
Specificity builds trust. Vagueness creates suspicion.
3. They Position AI as Team Augmentation, Not Replacement
Successful companies frame AI as empowering their human team, not replacing them:
"Our strategists use AI to eliminate research grunt work, so they can spend more time on creative strategy and client relationships."
This addresses the authenticity concern head-on.
4. They Proactively Address Client Questions
In B2B especially, buyers increasingly ask: "How are you using AI to serve us better?"
Early adopters who communicate openly are ready with compelling answers. Those staying quiet seem unprepared or behind the curve.
The Competitive Positioning Opportunity
While most companies stay silent, early adopters are building significant advantages:
Talent Attraction: Top performers want to work at companies using cutting-edge tools. Communicating your AI capabilities helps recruit better teams.
Client Acquisition: Forward-thinking clients actively seek agencies and partners with strong AI capabilities. Your silence makes you invisible to them.
Thought Leadership: The companies talking about AI implementation (not just AI hype) are building credibility and authority.
Market Education: By communicating transparently, you help educate the market-positioning yourself as a trusted guide rather than a late follower.
The Client Expectation Reality
Here's what your clients actually think about AI:
They expect you to use it. 84% of customers expect companies to use AI to improve service. Not using AI-or hiding that you use it-makes you seem behind.
They want to know how it benefits them. Clients don't care about your AI stack. They care about faster deliverables, better insights, lower costs, and improved results.
They're asking your competitors. In pitch meetings, "How do you use AI?" is becoming standard. If you don't have a clear answer, you're losing deals.
How to Talk About AI (Without Sounding Like a Buzzword Generator)
Bad: "We leverage cutting-edge AI solutions to revolutionise marketing."
Good: "We use AI to analyse your campaign data daily instead of monthly, so we can adjust strategy in real-time."
Bad: "Our agency is AI-powered."
Good: "Our team uses AI to handle research and data analysis, which gives them 40% more time for creative strategy."
Bad: "We're exploring AI applications."
Good: "We've implemented AI in content planning, campaign optimization, and performance reporting-here's what it means for your results."
Be specific. Be outcome-focused. Be honest.
The Risk of Staying Quiet
While you worry about perception, consider what silence costs:
Lost deals to agencies that communicate AI capabilities clearly
Missed talent who want to work with modern tools
Weakened positioning as competitors build AI thought leadership
Client questions you're unprepared to answer
Strategic drift as you fail to connect AI usage to business outcomes
The biggest risk isn't talking about AI. It's letting competitors own the conversation.
The Bottom Line
70% of companies see AI ROI. Only 38% talk about it. That 32-point gap represents untapped competitive advantage.
Your clients expect you to use AI. Your competitors are talking about it. Your market is learning-if not from you, then from someone else.
The question isn't whether to communicate your AI usage. It's whether you want to lead the conversation or follow it.
As one agency CEO told us: "We were afraid clients would think AI meant we were cutting corners. Instead, they were relieved we were staying competitive."
This blog is based on research from Maybe* whitepaper "The Big AI Secret," featuring interviews with 1,000+ senior business leaders.
Next in this series: Blog 5 examines how formal governance frameworks paradoxically increase both safety AND speed, reducing compliance overhead by 30%.
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