What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
The inspiration traces back to 2017, when I was running Fractal Visuals, the #1 corporate film production company in Austin, Texas. I saw deepfake technology emerging and recognized that AI-driven video would eventually transform corporate production. That signal led me to found Iternal Technologies in 2018 as an AI technology company designed to prepare for the future that was coming. Over the next seven-plus years, we had the privilege of working with dozens of the largest companies in the world and thousands of smaller organizations, both as customers of our AI technologies and as resellers of those technologies to their end customers. Through that work, a pattern became unmistakable: 97% of executives believed AI would fundamentally transform their companies, yet only 4% were generating substantial value. The gap between expectation and execution was enormous, and the root cause was not technology failure but strategic failure. Organizations were treating AI as an IT initiative rather than a business transformation. After hosting over a thousand AI strategy workshops and witnessing the same mistakes repeated across industries, from healthcare and legal to manufacturing and defense, I realized the accumulated knowledge needed to be captured in a single, comprehensive framework. The AI Strategy Blueprint was written to close the gap between AI’s transformative potential and the current state of corporate readiness. Every framework in the book was battle-tested across real enterprise engagements, from Fortune 500 companies to county governments to nuclear facilities. This is not theory; it is a field manual for leaders who are ready to act.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
The AI Strategy Blueprint is not a character-driven narrative, but if I were to assign theme songs to the archetypes that appear throughout the book, The “Future-Built” Organization (the 5% achieving 5x revenue gains): “Won’t Stop” by OneRepublic. These organizations have momentum, conviction, and are compounding their advantages every quarter, while others deliberate. The Organization Trapped in Pilot Purgatory (the 60% generating minimal value): “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer. They have the intent but cannot bridge the gap between experimentation and execution. The Shadow AI Employee (54% of workers using unsanctioned AI tools): “Rebel Just for Kicks” (aka “Feel It Still”) by Portugal. The Man. They are not trying to cause harm; they just want better tools and are not waiting for permission. The AI Champion who drives adoption from within: “Unstoppable” by Sia. These are the individuals who prove value with a single use case and pull their entire organization forward.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I am a voracious reader, though I consume most books as audiobooks since I read many hours each day for work. Listening while walking, cooking, or cleaning has been one of the best ways I’ve found to maximize my time and ability to learn. My all-time top recommended books span psychology, strategy, philosophy, leadership, and human nature: Maps of Meaning by Jordan B. Peterson Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin Relentless by Tim Grover The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Mastery by Robert Greene How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie Endurance by Alfred Lansing Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Secret Life of Pronouns by James W. Pennebaker A First Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi These books were the most valuable in my journey of self-discovery and delivered the most significant advancements in my understanding and worldview.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
My reading list is heavily shaped by the pace of change in AI and the strategic demands of scaling an emerging technology company. Right now, I am focused on work that addresses the intersection of technology transformation and organizational leadership. I tend to read in parallel across a few categories: competitive strategy, emerging technology forecasting, and leadership during periods of disruption. I also make heavy use of AI deep research tools like Grok Deep Research (which I recommend in the book) to synthesize insights from hundreds of sources on any given topic, which has fundamentally changed how I consume information.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
My favorite section to write was the opening of Chapter 1, where I trace the trajectory from the telegraph through the telephone, email, and the internet, and then show how AI surpasses all of them, measured by the most fundamental metric: the amount accomplished per unit of human time. That framing sets the entire thesis of the book. It establishes that AI is not just another technology upgrade; it is the greatest intelligence transformation in human history. When I wrote the line, "A CEO no longer requires ten expensive lawyers to research a corporate strategy for months and return with inconclusive findings," I knew the book had found its voice. I also particularly enjoyed writing the industry-specific competitive dynamics in Chapter 2, especially the story of the metropolitan police department’s SWAT team that generated tactical operations plans in 3 minutes versus the 150 minutes it took manually. The officers confirmed the AI output was "exactly the same thing we would have come up with." That story captures everything the book is about: AI delivering real, measurable value to people doing critical work.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
When I write, I’m obsessive. I spend many weeks thinking about the book, but when I finally decide to write it, I sit down and work continuously from the moment I wake until I sleep, solely focused on the book—14 hours a day. Trying to balance that while also running a successful AI company is an interesting paradigm.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
Be relentless. Be noble. Be formless, flexible, like water around a rock.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
AI is not a technology project. It is a business transformation, and 70% of its success depends on people and processes, not algorithms or infrastructure. The organizations that win will not be those with the most sophisticated models; they will be those that invest in workforce literacy, deploy governance frameworks that enable rather than constrain, start with manageable pilots that prove value, and scale based on demonstrated results rather than speculative ambition. The technology is available to everyone. The competitive advantage comes from the organizational capability to deploy it effectively. Start now. Start small. But start.
John Byron Hanby IV is the author of the new book The AI Strategy Blueprint
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