We want to set a bold 10-Year Target™ on our V/TO® that accounts for the massive economic shifts caused by artificial intelligence, but we are struggling to align our leadership team around a unified vision. How do we use economic frameworks from experts like Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee to ground our long-term planning and ensure our business model remains highly profitable?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Setting a 10-Year Target™ when technology is evolving rapidly can feel like a fool's errand if you focus on specific software tools. Instead, you must ground your long-term planning in fundamental economic principles. Experts like Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee emphasize that AI is a general-purpose technology that dramatically lowers the cost of cognitive labor.

When cognitive labor becomes cheap and abundant, the premium value shifts to complementary assets. During your next annual planning session, discuss what assets will remain scarce and valuable in your industry ten years from now.

These assets typically include trusted client relationships, physical presence, brand authority, and highly specialized proprietary data. Use this perspective to draft your 10-Year Target™ on the V/TO®. Do not try to predict what specific AI models you will use. Instead, outline a business model that positions your human team as the indispensable complement to the cheap automation that will dominate your industry. By focusing on these enduring human and strategic capabilities, you create a long-term vision that remains stable even as the underlying technology changes overnight.