AI Fundamentals

How to accelerate with AI: 4 tips for exponential thinking and innovation

Job van den Berg

February 1, 2026

min read

How to accelerate with AI: 4 tips for exponential thinking and innovation

The question is not: “How can we keep up?” But: “How do we think ten steps ahead?”

We see it in almost every company we visit: organizations that plan their strategy from a linear perspective. Step by step, quarter after quarter, sometimes even year after year.

And that worked. So far.

The reality has changed. Technology is no longer developing in straight lines, but in leaps and bounds. AI is the most visible example of this. Software that writes itself, code that is generated automatically, development processes that don't take months but sometimes just days or hours.

However, we see that many organizations are not adapting their approach to this. They keep thinking in terms of control, predictability and minor optimizations. While the market is now asking for speed, agility and, above all, the courage to think ahead.

The pitfall of linear thinking

Linear thinking makes sense. It feels safe. You take one step forward, measure the effect, adjust, and repeat. But in a world where tools like Cursor, vibe coding platforms and other AI solutions accelerate the development process by a factor of 10, that approach is simply too slow.

What's an idea today can be a working prototype tomorrow — by one developer, helped by AI.

By definition, anyone who still works with quarterly plans and does not want to restructure until next year is too late.

AI is fundamentally changing the playing field

In the past 12 months, we have experienced how fast things are going in our software company ourselves. What used to take weeks of testing, building and debugging can now be achieved in a few days. Thanks to AI tools, but above all thanks to the awareness that we have to dare thinking in leaps and bounds.

And we are not alone. AI makes development capacity more accessible, cheaper and more scalable. Your competitor also uses these resources.

So the question is not: “How can we keep up?”
But: “How do we think ten steps ahead?”

Exponential thinking as a critical skill

The most important skill at the moment isn't necessarily technical knowledge. It's not your tech stack, nor is it the size of your team.

It is mindset.

The mindset to switch quickly.
The mindset not to be afraid of fundamental changes in direction.
The mindset to dare to think ahead in scenarios you may not be ready for today.

Exponential thinking means:

Not “what can we optimize next month?”
But: “what if we can make this whole model 10x faster, cheaper or better?”
And: “who's already doing it while we're still planning?”

What to do now

Acknowledge that the rules of the game have changed.
AI is no longer a hype. It's infrastructure.
Invest in speed and resilience.
Not just in tooling, but in your people's ability to work with it.
Embrace agility in strategy.
Decision-making and execution must come closer together. Don't wait until the quarterly meeting. Respond faster.
Make exponential thinking part of your culture.
Encourage ideas that go beyond today. Reward people who dare to look ahead.

We are at a tipping point. The organizations that gain a head start in the coming year aren't necessarily the biggest or the richest — they're the ones who understand how fast the world moves, and dare to think in leaps instead of steps.

Mindset is key.
Not tomorrow. Now.

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