AI in the Engine Room — How Is AI Impacting Business Operations?

IKEA didn't use AI to cut headcount. It used AI to unlock €1.3 billion in new revenue. So why are so many businesses still getting this wrong?

In this episode, Hal and Nick are joined by Guy Meisl, Operations Director at Radley, to ask some uncomfortable questions about AI's impact in the real engine room of business: operations, logistics, and supply chain. Why did Uber burn through its entire 2026 AI budget in just four months — and what does that tell us about the hidden cost of AI at scale? Why, despite decades of digital transformation, is the spreadsheet still the bedrock of demand planning and logistics? And what can Starbucks' decision to scrap its AI stock-counting system after nine months teach every business leader about the gap between the promise and the reality?

Plus: Nick hears back his own case study from his work at Unilever on ice cream as a best practice example of using AI for demand planning!

Guy Meisl is Operations Director at Radley and can be found on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guymeisl/