When the CTO John Roese of Dell Technologies expanded to the role of Chief Ai Officer last year, one thing was clear: they found out a clear challenge to move or be left behind quickly. They have set a two -year deadline to do exactly that and they are on the right track.
What came after was not a hype or hundreds of organic pilots are from the entire organization. It was targeted strictness that Dell has always led – a versatile strategy in four clearly defined areas that focused on prioritizing people and processes with technology as the ultimate enabler. Dell delivered $ 10 billion in new sales in his 2025 financial year with a turnover growth of 8%, while the costs reduce by 4%. That is a disconnection of the income and cost curves that are rarely seen by a Fortune 50 company.
I was inspired to emphasize Dell’s success, not because they are a customer (they are not), but because they offer a compelling playbook for a company that starts their AI transformation journey.
The Dell Way
Here are four not advisers of Dell’s AI Startegy who should now be on your radar:
1. Be crystal clear about why you do AI
There were no feel-good pilots. No AI because of ‘innovation’. Dell defined that AI must stimulate profit directly – through income, margins, cost reduction or risk reduction. It was not about goodwill or buzz. It was about the P&L, Unapological.
2. Only focus on what is important
Instead of hundreds of AI projects they had on their list, they identified the parts of the company that really stimulate value for them: supply chain, sales, engineering and customer service. Every AI investment had to serve one of these pillars. According to a recentStanford Artificial Intelligence Index ReportThose four areas are critical levers that organizations can use to use AI to both save and earn money. As Roese explained: “We wanted to apply AI against the most impactful processes in the company’s core differentiators to improve our productivity.”
3. Re -engineer processes before AI is layered
Pre-AI, Dell discovered that the sales team spent a lot of their time navigating through workflows and tools. They have cleaned up their content, redesigned end-to-end processes and then from ai on top. It is AI maturity.
4. Build AI systems that scales over the company
Dell avoided the fall of isolated pilots. They opted for platforms and frameworks that could operate multiple usage scenarios in different departments. Ai was not quiet. It was architated for broad, safe and scalable integration. Whether you run a company of 500 people or a Fortune 50, the lesson applies: if your AI cannot grow with your company, it is simply a scientific project.
AI on scale, the Dell Way
Dell’s AI implementation serves as a core differentiator for them. Here are some high-level nuggets that you can take from them to inspire your company’s own AI journey.
- Sale: AI-driven tools reduce the time spent preparing, making repetitions use more time to stand for customers.
- Customer service: Dell-Enabled AI to give answers with unprecedented accuracy through each interface to quickly solve problems with the customer.
- Supply Chain: AI made Dell’s supply chain of world -class more agile, more predictive and dynamic in a complex world.
- Engineering: Dell used AI to introduce an extra scale to their technical possibilities, thereby increasing the capacity and efficiency of their existing team.
The new AI blue pressure for companies
Dell’s transformation follows a method that can replicate any large organization:
- Clarify ROI-Not goodwill, but bottom-line impact.
- Identify value pillars– Where AI promises the needle to move the most.
- Rebuild, then scales—Design broken processes before AI is applied. Don’t leave the automation mask dysfunction. Then only include AI in those workflows that have been optimized to quickly strengthen the impact.
- Mandate integration and governance—NO ROGUE AI Islands allowed. Companies are complex and AI use can appear in various places -from Saas services to purchasing and advice. This is where extensive governance comes into play. Make sure you have an active AI Use Case Review Board that supervises governance, structure, approval and prioritization wherever AI will manifest itself in your company. No AI projects may continue without first moving this holistic lens.
The result? You unlock AI to become an impressive growth engine, so that the income from cost curves can be disconnected. Even if a provider of leading AI infrastructure, Dell had to give his people and processes first to stimulate meaningful transformation, which shows that innovation starts with strong process and human foundations.
Why this matters now
We are at a bending point. Generative AI is not just another productivity tool. It is a catalyst for re -wiring entire operating systems. While the headlines set for working anxiety or AGI, the real story about reinvestment on an industrial scale. Dell quietly became a pioneer again: a 40-year-old company that evolved into a living, breathable “first” company.
If you want generation growth, you do not pursue every AI trend. Focus on the workflows that actually help your company move forward. That is how you send ROI, Bankroll transformation and broaden the gap between you and the peloton.
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