Let’s be blunt: whether you’ve formalised it or not, you have an AI strategy. And it’s visible to everyone.
Your silence is a strategy. Your first tentative steps are a strategy. Every choice, from automating a workflow to personalising a campaign, is a public declaration of your brand’s true priorities.
The critical vulnerability for any modern leader now lies in the gap between your stated values and your algorithmic actions. The real question is whether your engagement with AI will be a deliberate act of brand-building or an accidental act of brand erosion.
The Leaders: When AI Intent Aligns with Brand DNA
Successful AI adoption isn’t about having the fanciest tools; it’s about making choices that are an authentic extension of your corporate identity.
The Walt Disney Company has built its brand around imagination and trust. Rather than rush AI into customer interactions, it has created a principled governance framework, publicly committed to responsible innovation, and explicitly prioritised human creativity. The formation of dedicated groups, such as an Office of Technology Enablement, signals both oversight and strategic seriousness. Every AI initiative is harmonised to protect core values, maintain fairness, and ensure that rapid technology adoption never comes at the expense of creator respect or audience trust.
Meanwhile L’Oréal has reimagined itself from product manufacturer to technology-driven innovator. Here, intent means more than keeping up with digital trends, it involves systematically integrating AI across the entire value chain. Scientific research, hyper-personalised service, and operational agility now sit atop a foundation of proprietary data and digital talent. Dedicated task forces steer AI adoption, up-skilling teams and embedding new tools in every facet of the business. The result: culturally-institutionalised technological fluency, with a clear eye on value creation and responsible stewardship.
Duolingo is taking an “all in” approach, putting AI at the centre of its operations and corporate philosophy. The leadership’s stance is explicit: waiting for perfection is not an option. They are overhauling processes, content creation, and even workforce strategies around automation and AI. This does not mean indiscriminate automation; instead, it is a prioritised, intentional shift, accepting minor setbacks now to secure future advantage and relevance. Company communications reinforce this, framing AI fluency as a basic organisational competency and as an essential feature in employee development.
In contrast, Dove is positioning itself not as a primary adopter of AI, but as the industry’s ethical watchdog for its use. Here, an AI stance means more than simply leveraging algorithms for marketing; it involves proactively campaigning to ensure generative AI reflects genuine human diversity. Public advocacy against digital distortion, the creation of its ‘Real Beauty Prompt Guidelines’ for creators, and a pledge to never use AI to represent real women in its advertising now build upon its foundational commitment to authenticity. Dedicated partnerships with AI experts and creative communities steer this work, aiming to build more inclusive datasets and challenge algorithmic bias. The result: a forward-thinking model of digital stewardship, with a clear eye on protecting user self-esteem and future-proofing the brand’s core values in the age of AI.
What unites these leaders? Their AI strategy is their brand promise brought to life. This deep alignment:
- Signals Responsible Innovation: Proactive, transparent adoption frameworks ensure stakeholders see your business as ethical and forward-looking.
- Drives Cultural Alignment: When purpose pervades AI initiatives, from upskilling to new product launches employees, customers, and partners find clarity and confidence in your direction.
- Unlocks Competitive Agility: Companies that hold intent at the centre of their AI strategy move nimbly, respond to risk with clear governance, and adapt faster to new realities, without reputational compromise.
The Cautionary Tales: When AI Creates Brand Dissonance
When AI actions clash with a brand’s promise, customers feel the disconnect immediately.
Peloton Interactive appears to be grappling with its AI identity, caught between its human-centric brand promise and reactive technological integrations. For this brand, an AI strategy has seemingly meant more about feature-stuffing than creating coherent user value; it involves layering on generic AI-powered metrics and content recommendations that risk diluting its core offering. Automated workout suggestions, rudimentary form feedback, and algorithm-driven music selection now sit uneasily alongside a brand foundation built on elite human instructors and a vibrant community. Piecemeal software updates and bolt-on features steer this approach, showcasing a technology-first mindset that clashes with the user base’s desire for genuine motivation and connection. The result: a perceptible brand dissonance, with a clear risk of alienating its loyal subscriber base and devaluing the very premium human element that once justified its market position.
Similarly, Starbucks is navigating a precarious path with its AI adoption, attempting to reconcile its celebrated ‘third place’ ethos with a mounting imperative for algorithmic efficiency. In this context, deploying AI appears less about enhancing the customer experience and more about optimising back-end operations; it involves prioritising drive-thru speed and inventory management in a way that risks commoditising the in-store human interaction. Predictive ordering systems, automated inventory alerts, and dynamic menu pricing now form a data-driven overlay on a brand foundation built upon the barista-customer connection and carefully curated store ambiance. A top-down focus on operational KPIs steers this implementation, pushing for a frictionless model that often translates to a soulless one, sidelining the serendipity and personal recognition valued by its patrons. The result: a growing tension between the brand’s identity and its execution, with a tangible risk of transforming its cafes from community hubs into mere transaction points, thereby eroding its long-term pricing power and customer loyalty.
Deploying AI without deep brand consideration isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s an active risk that leads to:
- Loss of Leadership Status: When organisations with rich legacies take a public, principle-based stance on AI, it sets industry benchmarks. Standing on the sidelines becomes conspicuous, interpreted as lack of vision or confidence.
- Missed Value: Those who embed AI thoughtfully into core functions, without losing sight of human strengths activate new growth engines and foster innovation ecosystems their competitors struggle to match.
- Silent Reputation Risks: Today, customers and partners actively look for signals of intent. Silence or indecision creates space for doubt and erodes trust built up over years.
Your Turn: Three Questions for the Boardroom
Bringing intentional, brand-aligned AI to your organisation starts with asking the right questions.
- What is our public stance on AI? Does it authentically reflect our core brand values and cultural DNA?
- Where are our red lines? Are we clear on where we won’t use AI, and can we confidently explain why?
- What message does our current pace (fast or slow)send to our people, customers, and competitors?
In this landscape, indecision is the loudest decision of all. Leadership begins with a single act of intent. Make it count.
Want to continue the discussion? Get in touch to apply for a spot at our exclusive live event on the 15th of September 2025 – The AI Mandate: A Strategic Dialogue for Finance Leaders on the Future of Work, Ethics, and Profitability at Soho House 40 Greek Street, Soho, London.