Experts advocate post-summit steps and vision for AI adoption

Following the AI Seoul and AI Summit in Sydney, international experts from various sectors emphasised the importance of pragmatic steps and strategic vision in adopting AI. They underscored the significance of transparency and practicality, discussing how these principles are essential for maximising the technology's potential impact worldwide.

Simon Morris, Vice President of Solution Consulting at ServiceNow, emphasised the significance of placing human priorities at the centre of AI development. "The AI Seoul Summit provided renewed attention on issues around responsible and safe AI. This is a huge opportunity for communities to evaluate the true value of AI in the next few years and capitalise on its use effectively," he said.

Morris highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability, advocating for an open dialogue between governments, experts, and the AI community to ensure AI systems are both compliant and accountable. "This continued focus is heartening to see, but the discussion must be matched with genuine change and progress," he added.

Jennifer Belissent, Principal Data Strategist at Snowflake, cautioned against overestimating the summit's immediate impact. "The AI Seoul Summit focused on practicality, but we should also temper our expectations of what these events can truly deliver," she remarked. According to Belissent, achieving standardisation across countries and businesses is challenging due to differing priorities and contexts. She drew parallels with other technologies, such as internet protocols and car safety standards, which took decades to standardise.

Belissent stressed the need for grounded, practical discussions focusing on identifying and mitigating risks: "If these events can remain practical rather than focusing on vast and futuristic ideals, conversation and education can be the crucial foundations to future change."

Rupal Karia, Country Leader of UK&I at Celonis, underscored the event’s focus on utilising AI for business innovation. "The AI Seoul Summit addressed the potential capabilities of the most advanced AI models," he remarked. However, Karia warned against unbridled enthusiasm without strategic steps to harness AI's potential. He pointed out the critical role of Process Intelligence in effectively deploying AI. "AI, powered by process intelligence, will allow businesses to understand how processes interact and impact each other across departments and systems, helping AI to avoid hallucination and staleness in turn," Karia explained. He urged governments to facilitate AI adoption by building skills across the workforce and safeguarding AI projects.

Across in Sydney, Warren Zietsman, Managing Director of IFS Australia and New Zealand, supported Industry Minister Ed Husic’s recent comments at the AI Summit in Sydney on the necessity of embracing technology to boost productivity in Australia. Describing Husic's comments as crucial, Zietsman said, "Industry must embrace technology to improve productivity – it’s clear that there’s no other way – but a ‘legacy plug and play’ approach will simply not work." A recent survey revealed that 80% of Australian organisations lack a strategic approach to AI adoption, and nearly half of business leaders believe their AI capabilities are inadequate.

"Our economy requires an increase in productivity to grow, and all signs are pointing towards AI as one of the catalysts to facilitate and accelerate this growth," Zietsman stated. He suggested that the success of AI in Australia will depend on foundational elements such as the right architecture, company-wide commitment, and access to upskilling. "Ensuring that organisations have laid the right foundations are fundamental steps that will determine if we are the leaders or laggards when it comes to AI adoption on the world stage," he concluded.