Most companies are making the same mistake with artificial intelligence: they are treating it like software or as hype. That instinct is understandable. For the last two decades, business leaders have been trained to evaluate new technology in familiar ways. A product emerges, vendors make their case, the IT department reviews security and compatibility, finance negotiates pricing, and another software subscription is added to the stack. That model worked reasonably well in the SaaS era. It may prove inadequate in the AI era. The companies that solve this early may create years of advantage. Artificial intelligence is not simply another application layered onto existing workflows. It can replace certain repetitive…