AI is redefining competitive advantage—and the ripple effects are just starting. Morgan Stanley’s 2025 Thematic Conference explored how this technology is influencing economies worldwide. Stan DeLaney, leader of disruptive change research Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s Counterpoint Global, shares his take on why adoption remains in its infancy.
At Morgan Stanley’s 2025 Thematic Conference, leaders emphasized AI’s role in influencing structural changes across industries and in the global economy. During the event, Stan DeLaney, who leads disruptive change research at Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s Counterpoint Global, explained why the world is still in the very early stages of adopting AI. Learn more: https://mgstn.ly/45BIpWE
AI may be redefining competitive advantage, but the 2024 disclosures suggest that true differentiation lies in execution rather than speed of adoption. The integration of AI as a structural capability — embedded in data architecture, cloud scalability, cyber resilience and operational continuity — explains why large-scale adoption remains gradual. In this context, slower uptake reflects governance discipline and risk awareness, not technological hesitation. Competitive advantage will ultimately favour institutions that operationalise AI as critical infrastructure, not as an isolated innovation.
Amanda Graham
16h
We are not witnessing the rise of a new tool. We are witnessing the rewriting of how the world competes.
DHRUV ..
4d
Using ai for drug discovery, thats insane 😳 Morgan Stanley
Hi there! There’s a WhatsApp group, operating with their name, i think it’s a fraud, a scam
AI adoption is still early, but the competitive gap it creates will not be. As highlighted at Morgan Stanley’s 2025 Thematic Conference, the real differentiator will be how quickly organizations move from experimentation to durable integration across operations, governance, and capital allocation. The observation from Stan DeLaney aligns with what we are seeing in capital markets. Markets tend to price impact only after adoption becomes visible in margins, productivity, and scalability. That lag creates opportunity for early movers and long term risk for those waiting for consensus.