SuiteWorld 2025 Day 1 & 2 - NetSuite Next sets a new pace for AI in business

Every year, SuiteWorld opens with its usual pageantry - this year it was drones, light shows and an arena full of NetSuite customers and partners. But what mattered most in founder and EVP of Oracle NetSuite, Evan Goldberg's opening keynote for SuiteWorld 2025 was the announcement of NetSuite Next, which Oracle is positioning as nothing less than the "future of NetSuite."

Unlike past years where AI was teased around the edges, this year's keynote confirmed that AI will soon be woven directly into the fabric of the NetSuite ERP cloud suite, with conversational intelligence, agentic workflows and document-to-workflow automation built into core functions.

NetSuite Next is the big announcement

Powered by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Goldberg was clear that NetSuite Next isn't a new product or a separate system. If your business already uses NetSuite, you don't need to start again or move your data. You simply turn on the "Next" mode when you're ready.

Once it's on, the system gets new AI-driven abilities. As Goldberg explains:

"NetSuite Next puts AI to work for businesses by making it a natural extension of the way they already work. With the latest AI innovations built in, NetSuite Next can deliver powerful insights as well as autonomously complete repetitive and complex tasks, all with enterprise-level reliability. Every insight and action is rooted in data and governed by the existing roles, permissions and policies our customers depend on. It enables users to discover patterns in their business and engage with NetSuite in their own words, all while understanding an individual user's context, so it can deliver answers and actions that provide immediate value."

The centrepiece of NetSuite Next is Ask Oracle, a conversational assistant that sits inside the suite - context-aware and grounded in the company's actual data. Essentially, it enables users to search, navigate, analyse, and act across the entire NetSuite dataset using their own words.

Users can ask natural questions like "Why did margins drop in Q3?" or "Show me invoices waiting for approval" - and NetSuite builds a live dashboard. For different roles, the responses adapt. For example, a CFO asking about POS sees financial context, while a warehouse manager sees fulfilment details.

"This is not a copilot. It's the jet engine", Goldberg said. In practical terms, Ask Oracle aims to surface answers fast and in the right shape for each role, without digging through menus or running separate reports.

For an ANZ retailer juggling hundreds of SKUs across suppliers or a services business chasing cash flow, this has obvious appeal. The real measure will be whether Ask Oracle proves fast, accurate and transparent enough to trust in daily use - something we at Annexa are eager to put through its paces once it lands in the region.

Agentic workflows and AI canvas

NetSuite Next also introduces agentic workflows to handle payment proposals, reconciliations and even vendor selection. As is the case with agentic AI, businesses can choose to either approve or let the AI execute autonomously.

AI Canvas is another headline feature - this one is a collaborative space inside NetSuite where teams can brainstorm scenarios, run simulations and then trigger workflows. It's data-to-action in a single view, potentially cutting down on meetings and Excel exports.

Intelligent accounts payable can generate a payment run proposal with reasons for each selection, hold auto-created items in a clear pending review state, and route exceptions for approval. NetSuite's partnership with BILL brings payment automation inside the suite rather than relying on a loose connector.

Teams can also transact conversationally. In the demo, a sales order was created in chat, catalogue choices were resolved, a discount was applied, and the order was issued - all within the dialogue.

Document and knowledge integration

One of the more practical demonstrations showed NetSuite reading a PDF invoice, interpreting it and turning it into an actionable workflow. Extend that to contracts, receipts, or even training manuals and NetSuite customers have the opportunity to move from static documents to automated processes.

You can upload policies, guides and FAQs to make them searchable in plain English. New starters can ask "What's our travel policy for NZ?" and get an answer grounded in the latest document, with the source shown for audit.

For many mid-sized Australian businesses still working in spreadsheets and PDFs, this capability alone could justify an upgrade.

Autonomous close for controllers

NetSuite also unveiled Autonomous Close to monitor activity throughout the month, propose transactions and surface risk hot-spots so controllers don't wait until period-end. A close manager view tracks progress and touchless rates, with a simple checklist when you do need to intervene. For finance teams battling manual month-end, this is one to earmark for an early pilot.

Subscription metrics: tailored for SaaS and recurring revenue

Another big announcement was Subscription Metrics, a suite of pre-built dashboards for SaaS and recurring-revenue businesses. Think MRR, ARR, NRR, CAC payback - all rolled into NetSuite with AI-generated narrative summaries.

Subscription Metrics is available now in the SuiteApp Store with 40+ SaaS KPIs, cohort heatmaps, bridge charts, and multi-currency support. Oracle says AI-generated narrative summaries will roll out over the next 12 months.

SuiteCloud platform and partner programme

Alongside NetSuite Next, Oracle expanded SuiteCloud. The AI Connector Service uses the Model Context Protocol to connect engines like ChatGPT or Claude under clear data-access rules. Partners and customers can build SuiteAgents - domain-specific AI agents inside NetSuite – backed by new AI Toolkits and AI Studios for prompt and narrative tuning. The SuiteCloud Developer Assistant speeds coding and testing, with TypeScript and SuiteScript 2.1 support, while SuiteFlow Assistant lets admins design workflows in natural language. Expect more local SuiteApps to land as partners adopt these tools.

Availability and what it all means for ANZ customers

NetSuite confirmed North America will see previews of NetSuite Next within the next 12 months. UK customers are expected to follow, but no firm timeline was given. Goldberg did say international testing would start "very soon," which usually means Australia and New Zealand are in the second wave, not the first.

Based on past rollouts, ANZ businesses can probably expect access late 2026 or into 2027. That feels far away, but the time can be used to prepare - streamlining current NetSuite environments, exploring potential use cases and planning which processes could be candidates for automation.

ERP is now all about AI 

The broader message from day 1 and 2 of SuiteWorld 2025 is that ERP is shifting from systems of record to systems of reasoning, and we are positive that these new AI capabilities will set off a wave of exciting new innovations and efficiencies for NetSuite customers.

Stay tuned for day our day 3 wrap up, where discuss the product keynote and other highlights coming out of SuiteWorld 2025 in Las Vegas.