Beyond the Hype: From AI User to AI Value Creator
How to Escape the +AI Trap and Win the New "Netscape Moment" by Redesigning Your Business for Artificial Agency
In the previous article, we saw that the real AI revolution is about engineering agency, not creating intelligence. That insight puts the "architect's burden" on us: we're responsible for designing the systems where these new agencies operate. So here's the pragmatic question: how do we actually do it?
We're in a new "Netscape Moment." Remember when the first web browser made the internet accessible? It split the world in two. Users consumed information. Creators built new business models (Amazon, Google, eBay) on that platform and defined our era. Today, with LLMs, it's happening again. Victory won't go to those who best use AI, but to those who best build for AI. This demands a radical mindset shift—a journey every company and professional needs to take.
The Maturity Model: From the +AI Trap to the AI+Mindset
AI adoption isn't a simple yes or no. It's a spectrum. Most organizations start reactive, trapped in what I call the +AItrap.
What's happening here? You slap artificial intelligence on top of existing processes—usually outdated, inefficient ones. The dead giveaway? The "copy-paste workflow." Picture a sales associate opening ChatGPT. Types "write a follow-up email for a client." Copies the response. Pastes it into Outlook. Edits the details. Switches to the CRM to grab the right information. Finally hits send. Now multiply this by thousands of employees doing it every day. Sure, it looks productive. But underneath? Same old inefficiencies.
Why the +AI approach doesn't work:
It creates zero lasting value. The underlying process remains broken. You're treating symptoms, not the disease.
Costs pile up in unexpected places. Security breaches when sensitive data hits public chats. Inconsistent outputs across teams. Technical debt accumulating like compound interest.
You remain just an AI consumer. You're renting intelligence, not building it. No proprietary advantage. No intellectual property. No strategic moat.
Real value comes from the AI+ mindset. Stop asking "Where can I use AI?" Start asking "How can I redesign this process for AI?" Remember the concept of "enveloping" from earlier? That's your business strategy now. AI+ creates corporate "envelopes"—clean workflows, well-defined APIs, structured data—where AI agents can actually work effectively and autonomously.
This is the shift: from AI User (consumer of services) to AI Value Creator (architect of systems).
Mindset
+AIApproach (AI User): Reactive — "How can I use AI here?"AI+Approach (AI Value Creator):Proactive — "How can I redesign this for AI?"
Core Activity
+AIApproach (AI User): Applying a Patch (e.g., Chat & Copy-Paste).AI+Approach (AI Value Creator):Redesigning the Process (e.g., Creating APIs).
Asset Created
+AIApproach (AI User): None (uses an external service).AI+Approach (AI Value Creator):Intellectual Property (Workflow, Data, Model).
Value Generated
+AIApproach (AI User): Short-term, personal efficiency.AI+Approach (AI Value Creator):Long-term, competitive advantage.
Accountability
+AIApproach (AI User): Delegated (to the API provider).AI+Approach (AI Value Creator):Full and Absolute (by the system's architect).
The Value Creator's Playbook: 3 Steps for AI+Implementation
Ready to make the jump? Here's your practical playbook.
Step 1: Dismantle the old process, design the new envelope
Stop automating symptoms. Start curing the disease.
Example (New Employee Onboarding):
+AIProcess: An HR manager uses an LLM to write a welcome email. Then spends hours jumping between three systems (ERP for records, IT for accounts, and Office for org charts) to finish onboarding.AI+Process: You design a single "envelope" with one core function:onboardEmployee(employee_data). This function orchestrates everything—API calls to HR, IT, facilities, and whatever you need. Now the system handles complete onboarding with one input. No manual work. No errors. You didn't automate the clicks; you eliminated them entirely.
Step 2: Build and own your value stack
AI Users rent capabilities. Value Creators build assets:
Create a Data Advantage: Your proprietary data (customer interactions, production sensors, sales history) becomes your moat. Generic LLMs don't know your customers. An LLM fine-tuned on your data? That's different. That's yours. Nobody can copy it.
Lock Down Governance: The
AI+stack needs end-to-end governance. MLOps for the model lifecycle. Data contracts for input quality. Audit trails for every agent decision. Not just for compliance—for trust.
Step 3: Engineer for human-in-command, not replacement
AI+ doesn't eliminate humans. It elevates them to supervisors, strategists, and exception handlers. No more "moral crumple zones."
Build Control Interfaces: Forget empty chat boxes. Build dashboards with context, explanations (XAI), and control levers. Humans need to ask, "Why did you decide this?" and override when necessary.
Add Beneficial Friction: Smart
AI+systems add deliberate speed bumps at critical moments. Spending over $10,000? Human approval is required. That friction isn't a bug—it's a safety feature.
Your First Move
The "Netscape Moment" of AI gives you a choice. Stay on the shore, using tools others built. Or become an architect of the new digital infrastructure. Companies stuck in +AI mode will keep doing what they've always done, just slightly faster—until AI+ companies leave them behind.
The winners? AI Value Creators with an AI+ mindset.
Your assignment this week:
Theory's over. Find one "copy-paste workflow" in your daily routine or your team's work. Don't fix it yet. Just map it. Draw the steps, the data sources, and the frustrations. That's your weak point. That's where your
AI+transformation begins.
References
[1] R. D. Melillo and P. K. J. Park, +AI to AI+: Generative AI and the "Netscape Moment". Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2025.
[2] L. Floridi, The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Principles, Challenges, and Opportunities. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2023.
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