The global business landscape is shifting fast. Geopolitical instability, climate pressures, and nonstop technological disruption are reshaping how organizations operate. Yet amid all this turbulence, one force is emerging as the dominant catalyst for long-term competitiveness. Generative AI and the agentic systems rising behind it is becoming the new growth engine for companies willing to reinvent their models at scale.
A new insight paper from Bain & Company argues that the businesses winning the next decade will be those that combine Generative AI innovation with bold Engine 2 strategies, building new business lines in parallel with a transformed core.
Gen AI as a Strategic Growth Engine
The concept of Engine 2 is not new. Companies build powerful new businesses alongside their maturing core operations just as Amazon did with AWS. What’s new is the accelerant. Generative AI is compressing the time needed to create, scale, and operationalize entirely new models.
“Generative AI is creating entirely new ways of doing business while reshaping existing models at their core,” says Bain executive. The message is decisive. Growth now requires dual transformation. Reinvent the core. Build the next engine. And let AI drive both.
Bain’s research reinforces the trend.
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67% of the world’s top 100 companies are already Engine 2 innovators.
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In the GCC, the trajectory is even sharper.
GCC as a Global Outperformer
Saudi Arabia is emerging as a standout case. Almost 75% of government entities score “proficient” or higher in AI readiness, and 40%+ are already experimenting with real deployments. Private sector momentum is even stronger.
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95% of Saudi companies view AI as critical to success (vs. 87% global).
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92% of Saudi CEOs expect Gen AI to be fully embedded in their platforms within three years.
Bain’s executive emphasizes the regional advantage: strong government vision paired with private sector ambition. This dual effect — reinventing today and building tomorrow is where Engine 2 growth becomes transformational.
Redefining the Core While Creating What’s Next
The insight paper’s conclusion is clear. Generative AI is enabling entirely new business models and reconstructing the old ones in parallel. 56% of global executives expect Gen AI to fundamentally change product differentiation in their industries.
This is not incremental innovation. This is structural reinvention.
Organizations that diversify into new adjacencies, reimagine their legacy operations, and place Gen AI at the center of their strategy will shape the competitive map of the next decade.
“The decade ahead will reward those who act with intent, who create their own clarity rather than waiting for it to emerge,” the executive explains.
The Call to Action for Leaders
The message for GCC leaders and global executives is straightforward.
Move fast. Be decisive. Scale Engine 2 opportunities with AI embedded from day one. Build the capabilities now. Because the organizations that treat Generative AI as a second engine of growth, not just a tool, will define the next era of business.
The real disruption is not the technology itself. It’s the organizations bold enough to rebuild their future around it.
Adapted from Bain & Company