AI has beaten us on two fronts that once defined competitive advantage. It is faster, and it is cheaper. That should stop every leader in their tracks.

The uncomfortable truth is this: if AI can outpace humans on speed and cost, the only defence left is judgement, but how many jobs truly rely on that?

Speed
A UK employer cut payroll reconciliation from two days to one hour using AI. A European audit firm turned weeks of client reporting into days. Customers now expect answers in minutes, not hours. Speed is no longer a differentiator, it is the baseline. Competing on “faster” is already lost.

Cost
AI is stripping out entire layers of junior roles. HR and audit teams are hiring fewer assistants because the repetitive work has gone. Efficiency looks good on the balance sheet, but without reinvestment it is a race to the bottom. The leadership question is simple: if AI halves your costs, how do you use those savings? Do you build capability, innovation and trust, or do you hollow out your business?

Judgement
This is the last human advantage. Judgement is not data or process. It is responsibility. It is the ability to weigh context, anticipate consequences, and carry the ethical and strategic weight of a decision. AI can process, but it cannot take ownership.

Leaders must ask: how many roles in your organisation genuinely hinge on judgement, and are you actively cultivating that skill?

Because if you are not, speed and cost will not save you. They are already gone.