Many organizations are stuck in pilot mode, using AI for incremental gains rather than transformative impact. This Advisor, based on ADL’s recent CEO Insights study, calls for a shift toward enterprise-wide adoption, strategic alignment, and long-term vision to fully capture AI’s disruptive potential and stay ahead of emerging competitors.

As organizations pursue purpose-driven goals, true leadership requires more than bold statements — it demands rigorous measurement of real-world impact. This means shifting from tracking inputs to evaluating tangible outcomes, acknowledging unintended consequences, and staying adaptable in the face of uncertainty. As this Advisor explores, effective leaders build systems that capture both direct and ripple effects of their actions, enabling smarter decisions and more resilient strategies.

The convergence of quantum computing and AI marks a transformative leap for business, redefining how organizations process information, generate insights, and innovate. This fusion unlocks scalable efficiency, sustainable computing, and advanced analytics — enabling real-time decision-making, deeper customer understanding, and accelerated R&D. As these technologies mature, they promise to reshape business capabilities across industries.

Arthur D. Little’s 2025 CEO Insights study, “Proactively Embracing Change,” reveals that today’s CEOs are confidently navigating geopolitical and economic volatility through bold, proactive strategies. The first in a series of insights, this Advisor explores five strategic imperatives and identifies seven growth areas CEOs are prioritizing, such as institutionalized innovation, ecosystem collaboration, and agile M&A strategies. The study underscores the need for CEOs to transform uncertainty into opportunity by embedding agility, resilience, and forward-thinking into their organizations.

In today’s business landscape, purpose is essential — not a side note. Yet, many purpose-driven efforts lose momentum due to common behavioral pitfalls. Drawing from the Purpose-in-Practice Community, this Advisor identifies nine traps that undermine lasting, transformative change. Avoiding these traps can help leaders embed purpose more meaningfully and sustainably across their organizations.

This Advisor distills key lessons from the Syn.ikia project’s implementation of digital twins in Uden, the Netherlands—an EU-funded initiative focused on positive-energy districts. It explores how predictive digital twins, combining building simulations with AI-driven user behavior models, can optimize renewable energy use. It also emphasizes the importance of ethical data management, user empowerment through intuitive design, and value chain collaboration to ensure digital twins enhance sustainability without alienating end users.

Despite AI’s transformative potential, over 80% of AI projects fail — double the rate of traditional IT initiatives. As this Advisor points out, key pitfalls include unclear objectives, poor data quality, inadequate infrastructure, and misaligned expectations. To reverse this trend, organizations must align AI capabilities with real-world needs, invest in robust systems, and build multidisciplinary expertise. Establishing clear metrics and knowing when to pause or pivot projects are also critical for long-term success.

This Advisor argues that professional ethics education must go beyond rules and codes of conduct to truly prepare individuals for the complex, high-stakes challenges of modern professional life. It advocates for a virtue ethics approach — rooted in purpose, character, and moral reasoning — as essential to shaping a resilient, reflective, and ethically grounded professional identity. Drawing on Stoic philosophy, the article emphasizes the importance of joy, fulfillment (eudaimonia), and the cardinal virtues as guiding principles for meaningful and ethical professional practice.

Giuseppe Bisicchia, José Garcia-Alonso, Juan Murillo, and Antonio Brogi lay the historical and theoretical groundwork for understanding quantum software engineering (QSE) as a discipline, tracing its origins to Richard Feynman’s call for quantum simulation and following the evolution of quantum algorithms from Peter Shor’s and Lov Grover’s breakthroughs to today’s hybrid implementations. The article argues that QSE must strike a balance between importing proven classical software engineering practices and cultivating quantum-specific innovations.

Joseph Byrum examines the transformative intersection of quantum computing and AI, contending that the convergence is not merely technological. He explores five innovation vectors — from quantum-enhanced attention mechanisms and quantum compression techniques to AI-augmented quantum circuit design — demonstrating how each could dramatically reshape computation, knowledge processing, and enterprise workflows. Beyond technical sophistication, the article proposes a human-centric philosophy of computation that emphasizes integration, uncertainty as a resource, and ethical design.

Michal Baczyk delves into the pressing need for architectural rigor in quantum software development. As enterprise adoption looms, Baczyk proposes a three-layer taxonomy of patterns (design, algorithmic, and architectural) intended to address the complexity of hybrid quantum-classical systems. The article offers both a conceptual roadmap and a pragmatic toolkit for organizations seeking to build scalable, maintainable quantum systems.

Guido Peterssen and José Luis Hevia focus on the operational and organizational dimensions of quantum computing. They provide a compelling call to action: without robust governance, quantum computing projects will likely spiral into unmanageable complexity. Through a detailed case study of Bizkaia Quantum Advanced Industries (BIQAIN), the authors introduce the concept of the private quantum hub as a model for resource coordination, lifecycle management, and cost control across distributed quantum infrastructures.

This issue of Amplify explores the emerging discipline of quantum software engineering (QSE), highlighting the paradigm shift required to build, manage, and govern robust quantum software systems. Through expert contributions, it addresses foundational theory, architectural innovation, hybrid classical-quantum system design, operational governance, and the convergence of quantum computing with AI.

As Cutter Expert Curt Hall explores, AI is transforming legal systems worldwide, from AI-powered “smart judges” in China’s virtual courts to the UAE’s ambitious regulatory intelligence ecosystem designed to streamline lawmaking. These technologies promise greater efficiency, accessibility, and responsiveness in legal processes. However, they also raise critical concerns around bias, transparency, accountability, and overdependence on automation — highlighting the need for ethical frameworks and strong human oversight to ensure justice remains fair and grounded.

Great communicators and leaders distinguish themselves by mastering the art and science of asking powerful questions — of others and themselves. Clear, purposeful questions foster trust, drive innovation, and reveal hidden insights, while empathetic, well-timed inquiry builds psychological safety and emotional intelligence. Combining strategic questioning with strong interpersonal skills transforms conversations, strengthens relationships, and accelerates learning and impact.

Legacy data management practices, where insights are delayed and decisions rely on instinct, are no longer sufficient in today's fast-paced business environment. To stay competitive, organizations must decentralize decision-making and ensure frictionless, timely access to data for all employees. As this Advisor explores, a strategic, tailored approach to data recency and accessibility will define future-ready enterprises.

New global research from over 2,100 leaders reveals a critical execution gap — “digital detachment” — where senior leadership overestimates progress while failing to align culture, data use, and customer-centricity. Although many leaders express confidence and progress is evident, transformation efforts falter without a shared purpose, cultural alignment, and effective data-driven decision-making. The Advisor underscores the urgent need for leaders to shift from acknowledging challenges to taking decisive action that embeds transformation into the organization’s DNA.

With the business analytics market expected to double by 2033, organizations must move beyond descriptive and diagnostic analytics to predictive and prescriptive approaches that enable smarter decision-making, efficiency gains, and strategic agility in an increasingly data-driven world. This Advisor explores the evolving role of business analytics in transforming raw data into actionable insights that drive organizational value.

As businesses navigate the fast-approaching 2030 horizon, executives and boards must confront a complex mix of digital era opportunities and risks. Emerging technologies like AI offer powerful levers for innovation, efficiency, and growth — but they also bring challenges. In this Advisor, Cutter Fellow Noah Barsky looks at effective digital leadership tactics for the next five years.

Orlando, Florida, is leveraging cutting-edge 3D technology to drive economic and community development through one of the world’s most comprehensive regional digital twins. The model recreates 40 square miles in high fidelity and is used by the Orlando Economic Partnership to attract businesses to the region. This Advisor looks at this interactive tool, which integrates data on demographics, infrastructure, and amenities, offering immersive experiences via tablets and VR headsets.

In this Advisor, we explore the vital connection between leadership and purpose, using Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a powerful example. Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, Zelenskyy’s resolve, communication, and ability to inspire unity have rallied Ukrainians and earned global support. We argue that in times of crisis, deeply rooted trust and purpose-driven leadership are essential for resilience and survival.

Cutter Expert Curt Hall explores small language models (SLMs), which are gaining attention for their ability to deliver advanced AI capabilities with lower computational costs than LLMs. Optimized for efficiency, SLMs excel in domain-specific applications like customer service, healthcare, finance, and retail, where real-time processing and reduced resource consumption are key.

This Advisor explores the real-world implementation of a change management office (CMO) and highlights key phases of execution, success metrics, and the challenges organizations face in establishing a CMO. While a well-structured CMO can drive alignment, efficiency, and adoption, overcoming resistance, resource constraints, and operational silos is essential.

In this Advisor, ADL’s Eystein Thanisch, Greg Smith, and Michael Papadopoulos question whether AI will deliver on its promised productivity gains. While GenAI has surged in prominence, real-world efficiency improvements remain elusive. To maximize AI’s potential, leaders must take a strategic, human-centric approach — analyzing how AI can enhance key roles while preserving the professional skills needed to harness it effectively.

This Advisor explores the deep connection between organizational culture, leadership, and power dynamics. It highlights how cultures often develop unintentionally, reinforcing existing leadership behaviors — both good and bad. While many organizations rely on coercive or reward-based power, a shift toward collaborative and participatory leadership fosters adaptability and long-term success.