The article highlights the challenges companies face when transitioning to an AI-first approach without genuine AI usage. It begins with a scenario where excitement and anxiety fill the room after a CEO announces an AI integration mandate. The author points out that real innovation often happens informally among employees experimenting with AI tools, rather than through top-down directives. Once leadership gets involved, the organic flow of creativity can be stifled by pressure to comply with vague mandates, often leading to superficial efforts rather than meaningful change. The piece emphasizes the disconnect between what companies claim to be doing with AI and the reality on the ground. Many companies rush to adopt AI strategies after seeing competitors tout AI benefits, leading to task forces and plans that often stall or revert to old practices. The article argues that the failures in these initiatives are not due to technology but rather organizational issues where companies mimic successful outcomes without understanding the underlying processes that led to them. Two types of leaders emerge in this context: those who foster curiosity and experimentation versus those who enforce compliance through directives. The former encourages real engagement and innovation, while the latter creates resentment and superficiality. Effective AI applications, like using LLMs for customer support, are noted as areas where real benefits can be seen, contrasting with the murkier waters of more ambitious claims that often don't materialize. The article concludes with a call for leaders to model AI usage authentically and listen to the employees who are actually using AI effectively, rather than relying solely on mandates.