By Matt Crowther — Co-founder, Centaur AI
Between cyclone recovery, labour shortages, and rising costs, Hawke’s Bay business owners have enough on their plates without worrying about ‘Artificial Intelligence.’ You’re likely AI-fatigued, and rightfully so. But I’m not here to talk about ChatGPT licenses or “agents”. I’m here to talk about why your most dangerous competitor might currently be someone you’ve never even heard of, and why your board is likely looking in the wrong direction.
The case of the “invisible” competitor
Last month, I worked with a local business owner in the construction sector. We used Claude.ai to run a deep-dive competitor analysis. The results flagged a major operator from a parallel industry as a primary threat. The owner’s first reaction? “But they don’t do what we do.”
The AI’s reasoning was sound, it had connected dots that a human brain, focused on the day-to-day grind of “business as usual” simply wouldn’t think to connect.
The point isn’t that this new competitor used AI to compete. The point is that it took AI to discover they were even a serious competitor.
The ROI trap: why productivity isn’t the goal
Most governance discussions about AI focus narrowly on internal productivity and risk. Should we train our staff? Will it save time? What’s the ROI and the data security risks?
While important, these questions miss the strategic reality. AI isn’t just an internal tool; it is simultaneously reshaping the market from the outside. Rather than just looking at internal efficiencies, boards need to adopt an Outside-In perspective:
- How are our customers already using AI? (are they using it to evaluate our tenders?)
- Who are our competitors now? (use AI to power market research and connect the dots you don’t see)
- Where have we become invisible? (In the tech world, this is called GEO — Generative Engine Optimisation. If a new client asks an AI tool to ‘find the most sustainable civil engineering firm in Napier,’ and your data isn’t structured for AI to read, you simply don’t exist)
- What’s being substituted? (Are there AI-native alternatives to your core services?)
A new lens for the next agenda
AI is already reshaping your environment. Your market position is changing under your feet. I see many boards treating AI as a discretionary investment or something to delay until the hype settles down. As Williams Harvey Registered Valuers aptly put it: “It’s like watching a merry-go-round getting faster and faster and wondering when you should jump on”.
You don’t get to choose whether AI affects your business. You only get to choose whether you understand how.
What this means practically
Next time AI appears on your board agenda, try flipping the focus to Outside-In:
- How are our customers’ decision-making processes changing?
- Where are we becoming invisible in AI search and procurement?
- What competitive threats exist that traditional scanning won’t reveal?
- Which business models in our sector are most vulnerable to AI-native substitutes?
These aren’t technology questions. They’re strategy questions that happen to involve AI. Because understanding your strategic environment matters more than any tool licence ever will.
ABOUT MATT: Matt Crowther is the co-founder of Centaur AI, where he translates “tech-speak” into boardroom strategy, AI Literacy training and specialised AI support for Hawke’s Bay businesses. www.centaurai.nz
