One significant limit to AI adoption is human imagination. That’s what everyone says, anyway. But let me tell you what’s really happening: business leaders aren’t waiting for inspiration. They’re waiting for permission.

They want a case study that matches their exact business, industry, and constraints. They want proof that someone else went first and survived. They want the risk removed before they’ll even consider the opportunity.

That’s not an imagination problem. That’s a courage problem disguised as an imagination problem.

This Pattern Has Killed Companies Before

Whether it’s AI or other consequential technologies like the internet, mobile, cloud computing, or big data, this has been the bottleneck to technology adoption every single time. The companies that waited for “proof” before adopting the internet? Where are they now?

Dead or irrelevant.

The retailers who needed to see successful e-commerce in their exact category before building online stores? Bankrupted by Amazon.

The companies that waited for mobile success stories before going mobile-first? They’re now competing with apps that own their categories.

The default state of every new idea is no. The default response to every new technology is wait.

And that default kills companies.

What People Actually Want When They Ask About AI

I get asked constantly: “What’s possible with AI?” Here’s my honest answer: I don’t know because this is just beginning.

But here’s what I DO know: the winners won’t be the ones who wait for the answer. They’ll be the ones who discover it by doing.

We have a blank page to start with. That’s not a problem. That’s the entire opportunity. The people who are paralyzed by that blank page? They’re the ones asking for case studies. The people who are energized by it? They’re becoming the case studies everyone else will ask about.

The Choice That Separates Winners From Waiters

Most business leaders are reactive. They wait, they watch, they study. They’re professional spectators. If you recognize yourself in that description, here’s how you switch from reactive to proactive:

REACTIVE:

“Show me an AI success story from another dental practice exactly my size in exactly my market with exactly my patient demographics and the same insurance mix and…”

PROACTIVE:

“What if we used AI to solve our biggest bottleneck and became the case study everyone else asks about?”

See the difference?

One mindset is searching for permission. The other is claiming opportunity.

One mindset asks, “What’s possible with AI?” and waits for someone else to answer.

The other says, “Let’s figure out what’s possible with AI and what we could do with it!”

Stop Asking, Start Looking

Instead of waiting for answers, look for them. Try stuff. Experiment. Iterate. This is the path to innovation. It’s also the only path that’s ever worked.

Every technology breakthrough started with someone willing to figure it out without a blueprint. The internet pioneers didn’t have case studies. The first mobile apps didn’t have best practices. The cloud computing early adopters didn’t have proof.

They had curiosity, commitment, and courage.

The question isn’t whether AI can transform your business. The question is whether you’ll be brave enough to find out how before your competitors do. Because by the time you get that perfect case study, you’re waiting for? Someone else will have already won your market.

Bottom line: Innovators are the early adapters. But being first doesn’t necessarily mean being best. What matters is not being last.