In today’s business community, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the use of AI (Artificial Intelligence) to support work is becoming increasingly common. From content writing and market analysis to SWOT analysis and business planning, many business owners realize that with just a few commands, AI can generate documents that previously would have taken days to complete.
This leads to a very practical question: if AI has already accomplished so much, is there still a need for direct human involvement in strategic planning? This article doesn’t aim to answer that question with a yes or no, but rather to help the business community understand what AI excels at and what areas, if entirely delegated to AI, would expose businesses to unforeseen risks.
Why are businesses increasingly trusting in AI?
This trust in AI doesn’t come from blind faith, but from real-world experience. Many business owners who use AI for the first time have a very clear feeling that their work is significantly accelerated. Tasks that used to take them hours, even days, to solve can now be completed in a very short time.
From a business perspective, this is perfectly understandable. The majority of Vietnamese businesses lack dedicated strategic planning teams, have limited time for long-term research, and constantly struggle to balance operations, sales, and human resource management. In this context, AI emerges as a tool to alleviate pressure and save costs.
The problem only begins to arise when businesses expect AI not only to support, but to completely replace, the strategic thinking role of humans.
“AI” is very good at strategic planning.
To use “AI” effectively, the first thing businesses need to do is understand what “AI” actually does well. “AI” is very strong at synthesizing information, systematizing data, and creating logical structures based on existing models.
When businesses need a comprehensive SWOT analysis, a list of common industry risks, or a basic business plan framework, AI can do it quickly and relatively thoroughly. In many cases, these documents even help business owners identify problems they hadn’t considered before.
In this role, AI is a very good thinking support tool. It helps broaden perspectives and reduce formal errors.
The problem begins when businesses use AI to make decisions.
The difficulty isn’t that the AI writes incorrectly, but rather that businesses easily confuse a logical document with a strategy that can be implemented in real life. An AI-generated plan might be very coherent, but it may not accurately reflect the business’s actual capacity to handle it.
For example, AI might suggest expanding sales channels, diversifying products, or increasing marketing budgets based on popular successful models. But the AI doesn’t know that this particular business is understaffed, has unstable cash flow, or its brand isn’t strong enough to withstand a failed experiment.
When a business pursues such a strategy, the risk doesn’t come from the plan being theoretically flawed, but from the plan exceeding the organization’s capacity to handle it.
Strategy is not just about “what to do,” but about “where not to go wrong.”
A key difference between AI-powered strategic planning and human-powered strategic planning lies in the way risks are perceived. AI can list risks, but it doesn’t sense which risks are critical to a particular business.
In reality, every business has areas where mistakes are unacceptable. Some businesses cannot afford to make mistakes regarding product quality. Others cannot afford to compromise their reputation with partners. Still others cannot afford to make mistakes regarding cash flow over a certain period.
These limitations cannot be inferred from general data, but can only be determined through a deep understanding of the business’s context, history, and goals. This is where human expertise remains central.
Why do many businesses adopt AI but fail to achieve the desired results?
When a plan fails, the common reaction is to blame the market, the timing, or the AI not being smart enough. Businesses rarely reflect on how they have used AI.
In many cases, AI has done its job correctly by suggesting possibilities. The problem is that businesses have given AI the power to make decisions instead of the power to advise. When no human is held accountable for each choice, the strategy becomes a vague guideline, disconnected from operational realities.
What should businesses do to use AI correctly?
For the business community, the crucial question isn’t whether or not to use AI, but where to use it and where to stop. AI should be seen as a tool to help businesses clarify thinking, test assumptions, and broaden perspectives.
Decisions involving taking risks, sacrificing opportunities, or betting on a long-term direction still require human consideration and accountability. When businesses understand this boundary, AI becomes a highly effective assistant, rather than an invisible decision-maker.
Understanding “AI” correctly is crucial to avoid putting businesses in a difficult position.
“AI” is not a threat to the business community, but rather a great opportunity if used correctly. However, this opportunity only becomes an advantage when businesses understand that they are using a tool, or delegating decision-making power, to a system that lacks accountability.
Ultimately, strategic planning is not just about writing a logical plan, but about the process of people choosing how a business will survive, take risks, and thrive in the long run. That’s the part where, until now, “AI” hasn’t been able to completely replace it.
