This is especially true in a world where AI isn’t just a cost-cutting tool but a force that can augment human creativity and problem-solving—if deployed with strategic foresight.… In 2026, Orion Robotics was one of the fastest-growing tech manufacturers in Osaka’s industrial sector. The CEO, Miyamoto, had built the company from a small startup into a mid-sized powerhouse making precision robotics for factories across Asia. At first, profits soared. Orders for automated assembly arms and AI-driven supply chain systems doubled year after year. Employees were proud—teamwork felt like a shared mission. But as the global economy softened, inflation rose, and overseas competitors cut prices with state-subsidized labor, Orion’s profit margins began to shrink. Managers in the executive suite knew what every business leader has come to learn in the age of AI and remote work: The fastest way to delay profit deterioration—especially when mark...