AI Appreciation Day: Experts discuss business operations and transformation

We speak to key experts from business, sales, technology, innovation and data about some of the emerging AI trends and why businesses need to 'walk' before they 'run'.

Managing AI transformation and governance in asset-centric industries

AI presents significant opportunities for many organisations, but asset-centric industries in particular, where management and data collection plays a key role in the viability of assets, resources and infrastructure, are emerging as clear candidates for AI transformation.

However, according to Anthony Cipolla, AI Lead with data-led asset management solutions firm COSOL, organisations across the asset-centric industry landscape exhibit mixed maturity when it comes to their AI journeys, and are looking for guidance on getting AI integrations right.

During a recent industry event, Cipolla discussed the concept of approaching AI transformation from a Walk, Jog, Run Framework, where organisations are encouraged to gradually build their AI capabilities sensibly and safely. 

Whether companies are exploring computer vision, language models, prediction or enhanced insights retrieval from structured and unstructured data, this framework sees AI practices first needing to become trustworthy and repeatable, then later able to deliver real value, before late-stage scaling up into production across the business.

"The scale of the change that AI presents to all industries is perhaps comparable to the disruption brought by the internet, mobile technology and cloud computing (though likely more exponential in nature)," Cipolla explained. "At the same time, the concept of the Agentic-Web is being developed to determine how AI systems are standardised and communicate with each other.

"AI Governance has also become a priority for organisations, though the good news is that it builds on the existing Data Governance work many companies have already undertaken. 

"Business transformation takes time, communication and understanding across organisations and industries. For asset-centric industries looking to walk then jog then run with AI, this means effective change management must also be one of the most important areas of focus."

This pace of transformation is evident across related sectors, and this is highlighted by just how quickly AI is changing the software engineering space.

 "During a conversation at Meta's LlamaCon event in April 2025, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that within a year, approximately half of Meta's software development could be handled by AI, with expectations for this proportion to grow over time," Cipolla explains.

Integrating AI capabilities directly into existing business systems

Looking to harness the benefits of AI to provide its customers with more features, one company has taken steps to build AI features conveniently into its product, providing users with hassle-free access to frontier technology.

Leading enterprise resource planning and analytics software provider, Pronto Software, just signed a strategic agreement with IBM Australia, enabling the integration of powerful Agentic AI capabilities into its Pronto Xi ERP platform via IBM Watsonx.

Pronto Software Managing Director Chad Gates says the initiative is designed to democratise access to intelligence, helping businesses develop the capabilities of their teams.

"Rather than replacing workers, we're using AI to elevate them," Gates says. "Our customers, many of them family-run, mid-sized businesses, can enable staff to act strategically.  Pronto Software can work with customers to build and deploy Agentic AI that not only informs, but acts on the information, unlocking real business value without compromising security.

"With Watson's Agentic AI integrated into Pronto Xi, workers can ask a question in plain English and instantly receive forward-looking insights that support smarter decisions."

This approach shows how businesses can adopt AI without disrupting existing workflows. Rather than requiring staff to learn entirely new platforms, the technology becomes part of the tools they already use daily, reducing the typical barriers to AI adoption.

"AI doesn't have to be overwhelming or intimidating," Gates adds. "It should feel like a natural part of your workflow, and that's exactly what we are delivering. With this new capability, Pronto Xi becomes not just a system of record, but a system of insight and empowerment."

The future belongs to those who blend human design thinking and AI power

AI will never 'replace' authentic human connection – but it can drive efficiency and amplify the impact of our business interactions and operations. AI's core power lies in its ability to automate the grunt work – those repetitive, manual tasks that slow down productivity. From automating lead generation to scaling personalised customer outreach and enabling more strategic conversations, AI-powered tools are proving to be an asset rather than a threat.

According to Rory Clark, founder of NeuralNet Chat, now is the time to pay attention to the demand in AI automation while we still are in AI's infancy. Clark likens today's AI moment to the early 2000s tech boom, when companies like Amazon and Facebook were just starting to take off.

"We're at that dot-com moment again," Clark says. "There are so many AI opportunities emerging daily, and businesses that act now will gain a huge competitive edge."

But that doesn't mean chasing every trend. Clark warns against 'AI washing', and getting distracted by tools being labelled as 'AI-powered,' when there's barely any real AI behind them.

"The future belongs to businesses that combine smart automation with authentic engagement, marketing savvy, and a strong understanding of their customer journey," Clark concludes.  "The companies that adopt AI now won't look back. They'll be glad they jumped in early."