Latest news with #ArtificialIntelligenceAppreciationDay
Techday NZ
15-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
AI transforms security, safety & efficiency in global industries
Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day marks a moment to reflect on the transformative effect artificial intelligence is having across industries worldwide. Far from being a futuristic novelty, AI is rapidly embedding itself into the bedrock of sectors ranging from cybersecurity and logistics to construction and customer experience, increasingly serving as an essential layer of intelligence, safety, and efficiency. In cybersecurity, the integration of AI is seen as not merely beneficial but fundamental. Sanjay Katkar, Joint Managing Director of Quick Heal, highlighted the growing importance of AI-driven security solutions in today's volatile digital environment. "AI Appreciation Day is a timely reminder of the transformational role artificial intelligence plays in securing our connected world. As we navigate an increasingly uncertain digital world, AI-powered cybersecurity has become essential in enabling stronger, more adaptive defenses. The global AI cybersecurity market is projected to reach $93.75 billion by 2030, growing at a remarkable CAGR of 24.4 percent, a reflection of the trust being placed in AI to keep pace with emerging digital threats. "At Quick Heal Technologies Limited, we recognised the potential of AI a few decades ago and have built our entire innovation strategy around it. As the only cybersecurity company from India to be part of the United States Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, we deeply understand its responsible use. For us, AI is not just an enabler, it is a foundational capability we are continuously investing in and refining. "At the heart of this strategy is our patented malware hunting engine that powers both Quick Heal and Seqrite solutions. Using deep learning and behavioral analytics, it identifies and neutralizes threats in real time enabling a stronger, faster defense against today's evolving threat landscape. "Our recent innovations build on this momentum as well. Launched last year, India's first comprehensive fraud prevention solution, reflects our commitment to safeguarding citizens in a rapidly evolving digital financial landscape where fraud is becoming more sophisticated by the day. On the enterprise side, Seqrite Intelligent Assistant (SIA), brings AI to the center of security operations with conversational threat intelligence that simplifies and accelerates decision-making for security teams. "Through every product and breakthrough, we remain focused on reimagining cybersecurity through the lens of responsible AI making security simpler, sharper, and more effective for every user we serve." The expansion of AI is also fundamentally reshaping customer engagement. Harsha Solanki, Vice President and General Manager Asia at Infobip, observed the transition from AI as a "support tool" to one that acts as an "autonomous agent driving the future of customer experience." With platforms such as Infobip's Customer Experience Orchestration Platform, brands now have the ability to deliver highly personalised, context-aware, and proactive conversations throughout the entire customer journey. Initiatives like these are helping companies build stronger, trust-based relationships with consumers through seamless, anticipatory engagement. AI's impact on logistics and supply chain management is dramatic and quantifiable. Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO and Founder of LogiNext, noted that over 78% of businesses globally are now utilising AI, nearly doubling in two years. The wider AI market is expected to swell to a staggering USD $1.85 trillion by 2030. In logistics specifically, AI-driven technologies are optimising route planning, forecasting demand, and managing autonomous vehicles, all leading to "increased efficiency, lower costs, and enhanced overall reliability." The AI logistics market is forecasted to surge from USD $18.01 billion in 2024 to USD $549 billion by 2033, underscoring AI's vital role in powering smarter, more resilient supply chains. The accelerating pace of AI's adoption brings with it new security challenges. According to Parag Khurana, Country Manager for Barracuda Networks in India, "The ease of using generative AI to create and enhance content is having a far-reaching impact on people's lives," but it is also facilitating more sophisticated cyber threats. Khurana pointed out that attackers leveraging AI require only one successful breach, while cyber defenders must be vigilant without a single lapse. This dynamic has spurred calls for the development and deployment of advanced, multimodal AI security capable of detecting and neutralising threats regardless of their format or origin. Beyond the digital realm, AI is also quietly revolutionising safety in high-risk industrial environments. A spokesperson from Speedshield explained that warehouses, factories, and construction sites pose inherent dangers due to unpredictable vehicle and pedestrian movements. AI, through real-time monitoring and intervention, is providing a non-negotiable layer of protection that significantly reduces the risk of accidents and fatalities. Their AiVA system exemplifies how AI can "observe, analyse, and act without delay, distraction, or fatigue" to save lives where manual protocols may fall short. The construction and infrastructure sectors are also seeing significant AI-driven evolution. Balaji Sreenivasan, CEO of Aurigo Software, illustrated how AI is bridging the gap between long-term planning and execution in construction, enabling the simulation of future demand, the assessment of scenarios, and the prevention of project risk. "If the race to AI is one of progress, then it's also a race to modernise the infrastructure that will support it," Sreenivasan remarked, emphasising AI's pivotal role in shaping not just buildings and roads but the very systems that underpin modern industry. As AI embeds itself deeper into the operational fabric of business and industry, its role is expanding from a technological enhancement to an indispensable foundation for security, efficiency, safety, and innovation. On AI Appreciation Day, the message across sectors is clear: artificial intelligence is no longer merely a tool of the future - it is a force actively shaping the present and, inevitably, the world to come.
Techday NZ
11-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
AI Appreciation Day spotlights responsible & purposeful adoption
Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day is prompting industry leaders to reflect on the rapid progress of AI, its real-world impact, and the challenges that accompany widespread adoption across various sectors. As businesses and governments integrate AI into operations, the conversation has shifted from novelty to necessity, with a focus on strategic, responsible use and measurable outcomes. Within enterprise technology, the role of AI is evolving from an automation tool to the backbone of digital transformation. Gal Naor, CEO of StorONE, highlights AI's transformative influence in data storage, noting, "AI-powered auto tiering... observes how data is used and moves it between flash and disk tiers based on actual workload behaviour. This ensures frequently accessed data remains on high-performance storage, while infrequently used data is shifted to lower-cost media without affecting application performance." Naor emphasises that this capability both simplifies operations and prepares organisations for ever-increasing data demands. In the traditionally manual construction sector, Shanthi Rajan, CEO of Linarc, points to AI as a catalyst for addressing systemic industry challenges. "AI does not replace construction professionals; it empowers them," she explains, citing improved decision-making, reduced friction, and the introduction of contextual awareness to complex projects. According to Rajan, AI brings "cohesion to complexity, accountability to action, and momentum to teams," making construction smarter and more human-centred. Manufacturing and logistics are also benefiting from AI at the edge. "Edge AI is playing a massive role in enabling autonomous systems to make independent, real-time decisions with minimal human intervention," observes Yoram Novick, CEO of Zadara. "From self-driving cars navigating complex environments to smart factories optimising production processes, Edge AI is now delivering localised intelligence that operates well even where network connectivity is limited." Such autonomy reduces reliance on cloud connectivity and improves operational efficiency across various industries. For Australian businesses, Carla Ramchand, CEO of Avanade Australia, describes a surge of AI investment in the mid-market. "Our latest research shows that 86% of Australian mid-market leaders are increasing their investment in AI, with most expecting a fourfold return on investment in the next 12 months." Ramchand highlights the rise of agentic AI, where systems act independently, stressing that success "depends on modern infrastructure, clean data, trusted governance, and human oversight." Data remains central to AI's promise, as noted by Oded Nagel, CEO of CTERA. "In a ready state, data becomes the fuel for AI systems, enhancing their ability to produce actionable insights and drive strategic decisions. Companies must prioritise having their data organised and accessible, as it is the key to unlocking AI's transformative potential." Security is another major concern, as cyber threats continue to grow in sophistication. Jimmy Mesta, CTO of RAD Security, points out, "AI is now actually the only way teams can keep up... AI can spot patterns, connect events across multiple parts of the security stack, and take action fast enough to matter." Drew Bongiovanni, Technical Marketing Manager at Index Engines, adds that "the real ROI of AI shows up after the breach. It's in the speed of recovery, the confidence in your backups, and the ability to make decisions under pressure without second-guessing your data." AI enhances the complexity of enterprise application development, but with important caveats. Vijay Prasanna Pullur, CEO of WaveMaker, cautions, "Injecting AI into the design-to-code-to-deploy process without oversight or curation may not work... Enterprise applications and solutions are complex and need a lot more enablement on top of existing AI orchestration." With growing reliance on AI comes a call for responsible governance. Josh Mason, CTO of RecordPoint, argues that businesses must "make sure [they're] governing [their] data and using the technology responsibly and ethically, in a way that benefits customers and employees." According to Mason, poor data governance is a key blocker to large-scale AI deployment, with only a minority of companies succeeding beyond pilot implementations. Sustainability and infrastructure are increasingly seen as critical to AI's continued growth. Ted Oade of Spectra Logic urges the industry to "champion responsible development: transparency, bias mitigation, and environmental impact. Appreciating AI means understanding its full context - technical, operational, and ethical." Mark Klarzynski, CEO of PEAK:AIO, concurs, arguing that "the need for AI-native infrastructure is no longer optional. It is strategic." As AI systems become more agentic, autonomy and insight are set to become defining characteristics. Helen Masters, Managing Director at Smartsheet, sums up the current landscape: "Today's conversation focuses on how effectively we can integrate AI into our everyday lives. Across Australia, businesses are rapidly adopting AI not as a standalone solution, but as a strategic enabler." David Hunter, CEO of Local Falcon, offers a final reflection: "AI's true power isn't in integrating it into existing tools for writing fluffy content faster... but in uncovering patterns, trends, and other insights that would otherwise go unnoticed. The future isn't 'AI everywhere.' It's AI with purpose." As AI Appreciation Day is marked, industry consensus is clear: intelligent, responsible, and sustainable integration of AI will shape the future across every sector, provided organisations invest in governance, infrastructure, and purposeful deployment.
