AI Without Strategy is Just Hype—Wardley Maps Fix That | Simon Wardley

Описание: AI is reshaping industries, but most companies are making a critical mistake—they’re jumping in without a real strategy. Instead of mapping the AI landscape, they’re chasing trends, and betting on wishful thinking.

In this episode, I sit down with Simon Wardley, the legendary creator of Wardley Maps, to break down why most AI strategies fail and how enterprises, startups, and governments can use mapping to see the board, anticipate change, and make smarter moves.

Simon helped Canonical (Ubuntu) grow from 3% to 70% of the cloud market—overtaking Microsoft and Red Hat in just 18 months with a fraction of the budget.

In this episode of Fractional:
🚀 Why AI adoption without a map is like playing chess without seeing the board
📍 How Wardley Maps reveal hidden risks and opportunities in AI adoption
💡 The power struggles shaping AI—and why open-source AI is critical
⚠️ Why governments must push for open-source AI instead of corporate control
🛠️ How AI tools, language, and reasoning are evolving—and what it means for strategy

Simon shares his raw, unfiltered insights on AI’s future—from the industrialization of large models to the dangers of a small group controlling how the world thinks.

If you care about AI strategy, governance, and making decisions based on real competitive landscapes—not just gut feel—this episode is for you.

Simon is a former CEO, former advisory board member of startups (all now acquired by US Giants), fellow of Open Europe, inventor of Wardley Mapping, twice voted in the top 50 most influential people in the UK IT industry and a regular conference speaker.

As a geneticist with a love of mathematics and a fascination in economics, Simon has always found himself dealing with complex systems, whether it’s in behavioural patterns, environmental risks of chemical pollution, developing novel computer systems or managing companies.

https://swarm.work

0:00:00 Trailer
0:00:34 Introduction to Simon Wardley
0:01:56 What are Wardley Maps?
0:06:14 Where beginner mappers get stuck
0:06:42 Maps are imperfect representations
0:08:34 Key steps to start mapping
0:11:59 It takes 9 years to learn to map
0:12:51 Situational Awareness
0:15:31 Value of Wardley Maps to Leaders
0:16:47 Premortem and postmortem analysis
0:17:58 Climactic Patterns, Doctrine, and Gameplay
0:19:55 Wardley Mapping and AI
0:20:29 Evolution of Practices with Technology
0:23:30 Dangers of AI
0:28:20 Doctrine in the Age of AI
0:29:54 Updating maps in the AI Landscape
0:31:16 Why mapping from multiple perspectives is important
0:33:13 Bias in AI Systems (Market vs. Society)
0:35:26 Understanding How AI Models Reason
0:37:04 Emerging practices that Simon has an affinity for
0:41:08 AI and the creation of new needs
0:44:50 Advice for AI Entrepreneurs
0:46:42 Constant struggle to focus on the user
0:50:17 The "Real Horror of AI"
0:54:40 Glamorous toolkit demo and scenario
0:58:17 Lessons Simon learned in his journey
1:01:20 Closing