“It’s just staggering the diversity that we’re seeing in the use cases.” Even Tom Siebel, who with his team at what is now C3 AI has been working on artificial intelligence tools since 2009, sounded a bit surprised last month discussing the company’s quarterly results and outlook. No wonder, really: A recent RSM report showed that four out of five middle-market companies—not giant corporations with endlessly deep pockets—are using AI in some way.

This tech really has spread like wildfire—and like wildfires, it is proving tricky and unpredictable. More than half of the execs who talked to RSM said implementing AI has been more difficult than expected and two-thirds said they need outside help to get the pieces to click.

So if you’re still figuring things out, you’re far from alone. And if you’re looking for some big-picture thinking to kickstart or reset your strategy, you can have a look at the stories below.

— Geert De Lombaerde