Industrial Singularity: Why AI alone won’t win you the game, Tim Hughes

Every week we run a call. No agenda. Whoever’s around can bring whatever’s on their mind

Sometimes it’s a request for help. Sometimes it’s someone sharing what they’ve learned

One team member even built an AI team member over the weekend and wanted feedback

(The feedback was “wow!”)

The other week, the discussion turned to something bigger: industrial singularity

From ChatGPT to RFPs

The conversation started with AI

We all have access to the same version of ChatGPT, you and your competitors

We all have access to the same prompts, you and your competitors

And if you’re using the same published prompts as your competitors?

That’s not a competitive advantage. That’s a 0–0 draw in football (soccer) terms

Nobody’s winning

Then the chat moved to RFPs

I’ve spent countless hours writing RFPs

Sometimes I lost. Sometimes I won

In fact, my biggest ever deal came from an RFP response

But now, AI can write an RFP response in minutes. That should be a game-changer, right?

Except, it isn’t

Because my business partner (Adam Gray) pointed out: everyone else can do the same thing

AI saves time, but it doesn’t give you an edge. It’s still a 0–0 draw

Adam summed it up perfectly: AI isn’t a competitive advantage anymore, t’s business as usual

So, What’s Industrial Singularity?

I asked ChatGPT to define it:

“It’s the hypothetical tipping point where industrial systems, manufacturing, logistics, supply chains, and energy, become largely autonomous, self-optimizing, and self-sustaining, driven by AI, robotics, and advanced connectivity. At that stage, human intervention shifts from direct control to strategic oversight, because machines, AI, and digital twins handle most decision-making, problem-solving, and even innovation.”

That sounds powerful. But here’s the reality

AI can draft your proposal

It can structure your RFP

It can generate best practice

But when it comes to the executive summary, the part that connects the dots, that understands the account, the people, the politics, that should be written by the lead salesperson

Why? Because it needs a human touch