AI Cheatcode
Why AI adoption keeps failing
AI is no longer a tools problem. It’s an activation problem.
Before we get into today’s signals, a quick note that perfectly frames where AI adoption is heading 👇
Building AI Champions in 2026 — Free Virtual Event
AI adoption doesn’t fail because of tools.
It fails because teams don’t know how to activate them.
On January 15 (3–4 PM ET), Section is hosting a live conversation with Manulife’s AVP of AI Adoption on how organizations turn power users into internal AI champions who drive real business impact.
In this session, you’ll learn:
What the role of an AI champion looks like in modern teams
How to identify and activate AI power users
How incentives and performance metrics must evolve to support AI adoption
🗓 January 15 · 3–4 PM ET
🎟 Free virtual event
1. Claude’s 3.5 Sonnet Is Quietly Beating GPT-4 at Strategy
This one surprised a lot of people.
Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet is now outperforming OpenAI’s GPT-4 on several strategy-heavy tasks, including reasoning, planning, and long-horizon decision-making.
Where Sonnet shines:
Multi-step strategy breakdowns
Business planning and trade-off analysis
Long-context reasoning without drifting
Clear, structured thinking over flashy output
This doesn’t mean GPT-4 is “worse.”
It means something more important:
Model selection is becoming task-specific.
Smart operators aren’t loyal to models.
They’re loyal to outcomes.
2. “AI Content Repurposing” Is Now a Standalone Agency Model
What used to be a side service is now a full business.
AI content repurposing agencies are popping up everywhere, and for good reason.
Here’s the model:
Clients create one long-form asset
(podcast, YouTube video, webinar, keynote)AI turns it into:
X threads
LinkedIn posts
Instagram captions
Short-form videos
Email newsletters
All with:
Platform-specific tone
Hook optimization
Consistent brand voice
Why this works:
Every creator and brand is overwhelmed by distribution
Repurposing saves time and increases reach
AI makes margins massive
Pricing ranges:
$500–$1,500/month for individuals
$2,000–$5,000/month for brands
Execution time with AI?
A few hours per week.
This is one of the cleanest AI agency plays right now.
🔍 The Bigger Pattern (Pay Attention)
Both stories point to the same truth:
Better models don’t win on raw power
Better activation wins
Better systems win
The next wave of AI money won’t be made by people chasing models.
It’ll be made by people who:
Choose the right model for the right job
Package AI into repeatable services
Help teams actually use what they already have
That’s where leverage lives now.
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The shift from tools to activation is exactly what most teams are missing.
You can't buy your way into AI productivity with licenses alone. Someone has to activate it, show people why it matters, and solve for trust.
That's the gap between AI budgets and AI results.
Spot-on framing: it's an activation problem. But I'd dig deeper—'activation' ultimately means shifting identity. Your AI champions aren't just power users; they're role models who answer the implicit question teams are asking: 'What does it mean to be good at my job now?' Without champions visibly demonstrating that shift, even well-trained teams revert to old patterns.