From AI Tinkering to Strategic Enterprise Deployment

This article was originally published in Crain’s New York Business in May 2025.

In the span of a single year, the conversation around AI has shifted profoundly. In 2024, U.S. companies were in the early phases of experimentation, dipping their toes into generative AI, testing tools like OpenAI ChatGPT and Microsoft™ Copilot AI platforms and trying to imagine what this new capability might mean. In 2025, we’re seeing a decisive pivot from do-it-yourself tinkering to enterprise-grade deployments to solve meaningful problems. And this change is not incremental: It’s transformative.

From queries to agents: AI’s evolution

The evolution from generative AI to agentic AI is fundamentally changing what businesses can accomplish with AI. Where 2024’s use cases were often limited to simple prompt-and-response interactions, today’s leading agentic AI deployments are capable of multistep reasoning, decision-making, prioritization, and tool use. These AI agents aren’t just responding. They’re doing.

This leap in functionality is powered by extraordinary improvements in the underlying technology. Speed has increased. Costs have decreased. Security and confidentiality can now be managed at a level that satisfies even the most risk-averse CIOs. Broad AI platforms, such as OpenAI and Microsoft 365™ solutions, are integrating intelligent tools into everyday work. And niche AI solutions, like real-time multilingual avatar video creation, are opening new possibilities that were out of reach with acceptable performance just a year ago.

From curiosity to strategy

In 2024, we saw AI pilots in the market that were typically limited in scale and breadth of deployment. A department might trial a chatbot or use Copilot to summarize emails. Results were often intriguing but seldom transformative. At Crowe, we observed in our clients that the greatest barriers to AI adoption were threefold: a lack of understanding about what AI could actually do, an uncertainty around the use cases best suited to specific businesses, and concern about the security of AI use.

What’s changed? In 2025, leaders have seen enough to believe. Successful internal pilots have created credible proof points. C-suite executives are using AI tools themselves and witnessing the efficiency gains firsthand. AI has moved from an emerging topic to a regular discussion in board meetings.

Moreover, users are becoming more sophisticated. There’s growing understanding around issues like hallucination risk and the importance of traceable, verifiable outputs. Employees are also excited about building AI skills. They see clearly that these capabilities are critical to long-term success in a rapidly evolving job market.

Our journey at Crowe 

At Crowe, we’ve committed deeply to the AI transformation, not just for our clients, but for our own reinvention. We believe AI is one of the most disruptive and transformative technologies to affect the knowledge worker job in our lifetimes.

That’s why we’ve rolled out OpenAI ChatGPT Enterprise to all 6,000 of our employees – wall to wall – in a secure, enterprise-grade environment. The results have been striking: improvements in speed, quality, and consistency across deliverables. We’re also building bespoke AI tools tailored to our unique workflows, which can help us radically reimagine how our work is performed. Our strategy discussions now include AI, and our investments reflect our belief that AI is not just a passing wave. It’s the next operating system for business.

What we’re seeing in the market

Across industries, we’re seeing a similar shift. A growing number of CEOs have issued public, AI-first mandates, making clear that AI use is not optional – it’s expected. Companies are starting to incorporate AI use and fluency into performance reviews.

While this might sound bold in 2025, history likely will view these moments as early steps in an inevitable transition. Just as businesses once issued memos about using computers or the internet, AI could soon be considered just another essential tool of the job.

Clients who once approached AI with curiosity are now seeking scalable, outcome-focused deployments to address core business challenges. The mindset has changed. The urgency has arrived.

Why the time to act is now

The next 12 to 18 months offer a critical window. Companies that invest in AI now can build lasting competitive advantage. Those that delay might find themselves playing catch-up in 2026.

AI adoption is no longer about early adopters. We are entering the early mainstream – a period of rapid, decisive action. For business leaders, this is a time to shape your own future rather than reacting to someone else’s.

At Crowe, we’re working closely with organizations across sectors to help them move from strategy to execution. If you’re looking for guidance on how to harness AI – whether you’re just beginning or ready to scale – we’re here to help.

2025 could just be the year AI moves from promise to impact.

Microsoft and Microsoft 365 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.