Mastering AI in practice: Michael Wood’s straight-talking guide
At The Firm’s Growth Club Summit in mid-2025, Michael Wood explained why AI’s shift from deterministic to probabilistic software outpaces earlier tech waves. He set out four labels for AI products, how to build the habit across a team, and a twelve-month adoption roadmap that ran to mid-2026.
29 November 2025 · 3 min read
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Michael Wood gave this talk at The Firm’s Growth Club Summit in mid-2025, so the twelve-month roadmap below (Q3 2025 to Q2 2026) has now run its course. The framework still holds. For what firms actually built with AI since, see our AI in Practice Summit recap and The Firm’s free AI in Practice Summit on 11 and 12 November 2026.
AI already shapes how we work each day, and the pace keeps climbing. At the recent Growth Club Summit by The Firm, Michael Wood (co-founder of Receipt Bank, now Dext, and founder of Translucent) explained why this shift outstrips every tech wave we have faced and showed how to spot tools that matter. If you want your firm ahead of the curve, without burning hours on gimmicks, keep reading.
“Microsoft, Google and Amazon will spend roughly a quarter-trillion dollars on AI this year. That figure alone tells us to pay attention.”
Why this wave of AI feels different
• Old software follows a single rule: do X, get the same Y every time. Michael calls that deterministic software.
• Modern AI works on patterns and probabilities. It weighs options, fills gaps and completes tasks that once sat firmly on a human desk, including note-taking, data checks and first-draft emails. This approach sits under the banner of probabilistic software.
Four AI labels you will meet
• “Powered by AI” add-onsOften marketing gloss. If the outcome looks unchanged, skip it.
• Role-based agents (for example, “AI bookkeeper”)Current models still miss too many edge cases to cover a full job, so treat these as future curiosities.
• AI assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok)Great for ideas, research, email drafts and more. Roll one out firm-wide and set a weekly “AI win” challenge.
• Workflow agents (Vinyl for meeting notes, Bolt for quick code builds)Focus on a single process, finish it end to end and hand you an audit trail. These offer real gains in 2025. Test them soon.
Build the habit across your team
• Pick an assistant and buy licences. ChatGPT works well.
• Share victories. Ask each staff member to post one task the assistant handled faster each week.
• Map quick-win workflows. Bank recs, meeting notes and inter-company journals often suit workflow agents first.
• Add guardrails. Decide who checks agent output, how edits happen and where logs sit.
• Pilot a workflow agent in Q4. Choose a low-risk, high-volume job, measure time saved and refine.
A simple twelve-month roadmap
Key dates
- Q3 2025PassedStaff gain an AI assistant habit. Most team members open ChatGPT each week.
- Q4 2025PassedFirst workflow agent goes live, perhaps a meeting-note bot or a bank rec tool.
- Q1 2026NowAudit rules tighten. Every agent output follows a clear review path.
- Q2 2026NowSecond workflow agent joins. Inter-company journals or another time-heavy task moves off your plate.
AI isn’t coming. It’s already reshaping your work.
The firms that win won’t wait for perfect tools. They’ll build the habits, test the workflows and lead the change.
Is your team ready to start?
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