The AI platform shift is here—Are you ready for reinvention?

At Microsoft, we’ve had the privilege of working with leading innovators across industries, helping them not just experiment with AI, but deploy it for lasting business impact. As we’ve shared in the AI Decision Brief, the AI platform shift is reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace, and this transformation is only accelerating. Organizations that take bold steps now will be the ones defining the next era of business. 

And that transformation is already well underway: 

• According to Gartner®, “By 2026, more than 80% of enterprises will have used generative AI APIs or models, and/or deployed generative AI-enabled applications in production environments, up from less than 5% in 2023.”¹
• 97% of executives believe generative AI will transform their company and industry, 93% say their generative AI investments are outperforming other strategic areas, based on a research report from Accenture.²

So, how do organizations accelerate their journey through AI adoption? For many leaders, the success of AI-powered reinvention depends on organizations’ readiness to swiftly experiment and adopt a more risk-tolerant approach to scaling generative AI use cases within their operations. 

What AI leaders do differently 

AI leaders incorporate AI into their culture and operations, treating it as an essential element of their business strategy to enhance business value and foster innovation. Organizations at the forefront of this movement are already experiencing transformative impacts. They are leveraging generative AI to unlock new levels of customization in customer interactions, streamline complex workflows, and innovate at an unprecedented scale. By embedding AI into the fabric of their business operations, these leaders are redefining industry standards and setting new benchmarks for success. 

AI in action: How industry leaders are driving reinvention  

ANZ Bank, Zurich Insurance, Telstra, and Coles exemplify how companies can move beyond experimentation and embed AI into their core operations by modernizing their data foundations to fuel AI-powered insights, reskill their workforce to align with new AI capabilities, and ensure AI strategies are co-owned by business and IT leaders.  

ANZ Bank: Cultivating an AI-enabled workforce 

ANZ Bank is a phenomenal example of integrating AI into operations by equipping 45,000 employees with the skills and tools needed to work effectively with AI. A key part of this effort is the AI Immersion Centre, launched in partnership with Microsoft, where employees gain hands-on experience and develop practical AI skills. This initiative fosters a culture of experimentation and continuous learning, helping teams explore AI’s potential across different functions. 

Leadership engagement is central to ANZ’s approach, with the bank implementing CEO-sponsored executive education programs designed to deepen leaders’ understanding of AI ethics, safety, and business applications. These sessions encourage executives to identify AI-powered opportunities and drive adoption across their teams. Through adding thoughtful initiatives, ANZ is strengthening its AI capabilities while ensuring employees are confident and capable in an AI-powered workplace. 

Zurich Insurance: AI-powered data modernization and decision-making 

For a company built on assessing risk and ensuring stability, Zurich Insurance saw early on that AI could revolutionize underwriting and claims processing. With a global footprint and vast amounts of unstructured data across languages and regions, the insurer needed a scalable AI solution to streamline decision-making and enhance customer experiences. 

The impact has been clear, AI is enhancing the employee experience to improve underwriting precision, which has enabled faster claims resolution, and enhanced customer satisfaction. By making AI a core part of operations, Zurich is demonstrating how data modernization and automation fuel reinvention at scale.

Learn more about Zurich’s AI transformation, or how Zurich is shaping the future of underwriting.

Telstra: Aligning leadership and AI strategy for reinvention at scale 

Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, is embedding AI across its entire business to drive both customer engagement and operational efficiency. Recognizing that AI adoption must be a company-wide effort, Telstra has taken a CEO-led approach to AI strategy, ensuring alignment between business and IT leaders. 

Through its AI Academy, employees at all levels gain hands-on AI experience, and with more than 21,000 employees using Microsoft 365 Copilot, this demonstrates how AI is being woven into daily workflows. By embedding AI across its operations—from network management to customer support—Telstra is showing how leadership alignment and strategic implementation can drive AI-powered reinvention at scale.

Coles: AI-powered workforce enablement and operational agility 

As one of Australia’s largest grocery retailers, Coles is using AI to transform both customer experiences and workforce efficiency. With 109 billion daily AI-powered demand predictions across its supply chain, the company is embedding AI into decision-making at every level. 

Coles has deployed machine vision and AI-powered checkout solutions that have saved customers an estimated 400,000 hours annually, reducing friction at checkout while improving efficiency. The company also invested in AI literacy across its workforce, redesigning roles and providing AI-powered decision support for employees in stores and supply chain operations. By integrating AI into its workforce strategy, Coles has gone beyond enhancing operational efficiency, empowering employees to focus on higher-value work while improving customer service. 

Driving competitive advantage in the AI era 

Leaders in AI-powered reinvention aren’t just reacting to change; they are taking bold and decisive action to redefine the future of their organizations. These organizations have moved beyond laying the groundwork for success, they are rapidly experiencing real business value and have turned AI into a competitive advantage.  

AI reinvention is no longer optional. The question is: How will your organization turn AI into a lasting advantage? 

Find the resources to support your AI journey:  

• Explore Microsoft’s AI solutions.
• Advance your AI transformation with AI business resources.
• View more AI Challengers executive insights.
• Listen to the Leading the Shift podcast to hear advice from leaders navigating the AI platform shift.

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¹ Gartner Article, What’s Driving the Hype Cycle for Generative AI, 2024, Arun Chandrasekaran, November 14, 2024.

GARTNER® is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. 

²Accenture Research Report, Reinventing enterprise models in the age of generative AI, Karalee Close and Kestas Sereiva, March 17, 2025.