AI Appreciation Day Quotes and Commentary from Industry Experts in 2025

For AI Appreciation Day 2025, the editors at Solutions Review have compiled a list of quotes, predictions, and commentary from leading experts across industries.

As part of this year’s AI Appreciation Day, we called for the best and brightest minds in the enterprise technology market to share best practices, predictions, and personal anecdotes about the impact artificial intelligence has had on their careers, companies, and more. The experts featured represent some of the top influencers, consultants, and solution providers with experience across industries, and each projection has been vetted for relevance and ability to add business value.

AI Appreciation Day Quotes from Industry Experts in 2025

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Dan Adams, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Enrich at Precisely

“AI thrives on context, and few sources provide it more reliably and powerfully than high-quality location data. While most companies focus on training larger models or collecting more behavioral data, they often overlook a critical layer: where events, transactions, and decisions take place. This is the spatial intelligence advantage.

“At Precisely, we help organizations evolve beyond metadata and internal records to integrate precise location-based insights, ranging from points of interest and property boundaries to weather patterns and risk zones. This enriched spatial context enables smarter AI-driven decisions across industries.

“For insurers, it improves risk modeling in the face of extreme weather. For retailers, it sharpens site selection and customer targeting. And for logistics firms, it empowers dynamic planning and resource allocation. As AI becomes more integrated into operational workflows, spatial awareness won’t just be a differentiator—it will be a requirement.

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Michael Adjei, Director of Systems Engineering at Illumio

“AI is rapidly transforming how security teams operate by accelerating insight, automating the mundane, and expanding visibility across complex environments. But progress without protection is a risk in itself. As AI systems become more embedded in our digital infrastructure, the stakes rise. Trust must be earned, not assumed. That’s why enforceable, transparent frameworks are essential, not just to guide innovation, but to ensure it’s grounded in accountability and resilience. Without them, we risk building powerful tools on fragile foundations.”

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Roy Akerman, the VP of Identity Security Strategy at Silverfort

Doug Anderson, Chief Product Officer at AvidXchange

“AI is transforming finance and accounting by streamlining processes that were once manual, time-consuming, and error-prone. Instead of replacing people, AI supports them by simplifying complexity and delivering meaningful insights. It keeps users in control and builds the trust needed for confident deployment.

“For finance teams, it is simplifying complex workflows, reducing friction in approvals, and improving the experience for both internal stakeholders and vendors. As adoption grows, we expect to see even more ways AI can help teams work smarter, adapt faster, and deliver better outcomes. This is just the beginning of how AI can reshape the future of finance for teams and the customers they support.”

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Todd Ariss, Founder and CEO of GoDark Bags

“AI isn’t here to replace our team but to amplify what makes us exceptional. It helps us think bigger, move faster, and serve smarter, without losing our human touch.

“As a team, we still bring the ideas, the heart, and the human connection, but AI helps us get more done and do it better. It smooths out our workflows, cuts the busywork, and frees us up to focus on building trust and growing the brand. At the end of the day, it’s not about working harder, it’s about working smarter… together.”

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Dilip Bachwani, Chief Technology Officer at Qualys

“AI is reshaping enterprise operations and redefining the front lines of cybersecurity. From large language models (LLMs) to generative AI, these technologies are the ultimate force multipliers impacting Risk Operations Centers (ROCs), automating detection, predicting threats, and triaging risks at a scale humans simply can’t match. AI pinpoints anomalies in seconds, speeding up incident response and transforming reactive security teams into proactive defense engines.

“That same tech also opens up new attack surfaces. From prompt injection and data leakage to model manipulation and hallucinations, AI introduces a fresh class of vulnerabilities. Organizations that harness AI must also secure it across the full lifecycle: from development and deployment to monitoring and governance. That means embedding security by design, enforcing real-time oversight, and setting clear, ethical boundaries for AI behavior.

“On AI Appreciation Day, let’s go beyond the hype. Let’s celebrate AI’s impact and reckon with its risks, ensuring security and compliance remain top priorities in our race towards innovation.”

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Ron Baker, Chief Technology Officer at Trustwise

“The gap between AI prototypes and production systems, and how to bridge it, is on my mind this AI Appreciation Day. Traditional security approaches simply don’t work in practice when dealing with agentic systems that can reason around your controls. Prompt injections, hallucinations, and unauthorized tool usage aren’t theoretical risks anymore, and the stakes are high. They’re showing up in our red team tests. To have successful and secure AI deployments, trust and governance need to be embedded directly into agent decision loops, not bolted on afterward. This will speed the transition from experimentation to safe production use of AI in enterprise use cases.”

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Colin Banas, M.D., M.H.A., Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst

“People are so busy marveling (or panicking) about the future of AI in healthcare that they’re overlooking its real superpower today: making the boring, broken stuff actually work. AI has tremendous potential to fix fundamental problems this industry has kicked down the road for decades. It’s taking on everyday speed bumps that delay care and frustrate everyone, like prior authorizations that take seven days when they should take seven minutes.”

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Nate Barad, the VP of Product Marketing at Algolia

Geoff Barrall, Chief Product Officer at Index Engines

On the ROI of Investing in AI for Cybersecurity

“With the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. nearing $10 million, and public companies typically seeing a 3–5% drop in share price following a breach disclosure, the business case for investing in cybersecurity software is clear. For corporate IT organizations, this isn’t just about risk mitigation but financial responsibility. When you factor in legal fees, reputational damage, and the fact that recovery can take six months or more, the true operational cost to the business can far exceed the initial breach impact. Proactive cybersecurity investment is not a discretionary expense—it’s a strategic imperative.”

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Adam Bennett, Co-Founder & CEO at SureStack

“AI’s real value in many fields, including my own field of cybersecurity, isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about helping the humans to cover more ground. One of the biggest blind spots we encounter across organizations isn’t just external threats, but misconfigurations and vulnerabilities hidden inside their existing security stacks. Teams often assume that once tools are deployed—firewalls, endpoint protection, SIEM, intrusion prevention, identity systems—they’re set and secure. However, environments evolve, new vulnerabilities are discovered, integrations break, and settings drift, and that’s where risk creeps in. AI is essential for continuously validating those stacks in real-time, monitoring, analyzing, and alerting on changes or gaps that might otherwise go unnoticed until it’s too late.”

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Rajiv Bhat, Co-Founder & CEO at martini.ai

“The thing about AI that really stands out is how it cuts through the usual BS when it comes to ratings and opinions. It’s not trying to please anyone or protect its reputation—it just works with whatever data it has and gives you the best take it can. You see this playing out everywhere now. People used to fight endlessly about planning itineraries—whether it’s a meeting agenda, a vacation schedule, or a trade show booth tour—but now they just ask AI to build it, and everyone’s fine with it. Same with settling arguments—instead of going back and forth, people just look it up and move on. There’s something refreshing about that neutrality, especially when you’re dealing with subjective stuff where human bias usually creeps in.

“What’s funny is that AI’s flaws might actually be its biggest asset here. Unlike credit rating agencies that have to stand behind every decision no matter what, AI can basically say, ‘here’s my best guess, but I could be wrong.’ That makes people more comfortable with it. When someone shares feedback with an AI system, they’re not worried about being judged as they might be with a human. And when you get an AI-generated rating or assessment, it feels more trustworthy than something a company paid for, precisely because it’s neutral and there’s no money changing hands. The fact that it’s not perfect leaves room for interpretation, which is honestly more realistic than pretending any rating system can capture the full complexity of real life.”

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Josh Blalock, Chief Evangelist at Jabra

“As AI becomes more embedded in our daily work, its potential to influence something deeply human, our happiness, is coming into sharper focus. New research from Jabra and The Happiness Research Institute found that employees who use AI daily report 34% higher job satisfaction and are significantly more optimistic about their future at work compared to those who rarely use the technology. The findings suggest that AI’s biggest impact may not be just on productivity, but on how people feel.

“We now live in a world where people collaborate not just with each other, but also with AI. That means technology should support not only human interaction but also give AI the audio and video input it needs to be more helpful, more contextual, and more emotionally intelligent.”

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Andrew Bolster, Senior Manager of Research and Development at Black Duck

“Wow, what an exciting couple of years for AI in Cybersecurity! As with any new technology, Large Language Models launching on to the scene after the release of ChatGPT set everyone’s minds and tongues and fingers aflame, claiming simultaneously that AI was going to take away everyone’s jobs, but make all the security mistakes, but would also be able to fix them all, but would end the world, but we might all live in a simulation anyway!

“The real impact that we’ve seen on the ‘Rise of the Machines’ in cybersecurity has been both a little more mundane but also much more transformative long term; AI now means that our software engineering teams all have ‘co-pilots’ to rubber-duck their ideas and challenges, and ‘talk’ with our documentation and ticketing systems, greatly accelerating their interaction with these systems and reducing wasteful context-switching. Large Language Models help us understand customers’ support questions en masse to identify gaps or potential improvements in our documentation and product capabilities. Our management teams use internal MCP-like interfaces to ‘check in’ on their teams and colleagues, and to draft reports based on their activity. And that’s before we start talking about applications of AI to the actual cybersecurity domain.

“AI did change the world for cybersecurity, as it did for everyone else; it made it easier to bridge the interface between Natural Language and Machines and made it easier for subject matter experts to collate, assess, and act on their data and their context, and above all, to scale expertise in ways that wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago.”

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Soniya Bopache, GM & VP of Data Compliance at Arctera.io

“AI, particularly generative AI (GenAI), is quickly becoming a key driver of competitive advantage through capabilities such as rapid analysis of large data sets for strategic decision making. Whether an organization is using GenAI to analyze market trends, identify risks, or any number of other applications, its transformative power helps make sense of complex information faster than ever before to protect and grow businesses.

“Plus, there is increasingly better awareness and education among organizations around how to use Large Language Models (LLMs) to unlock new levels of insight and efficiency without introducing compliance risk. Historically, many organizations have feared opening a can of worms by enabling the use of public LLMs, since they lacked the tools needed to restrict teams from uploading sensitive data.

“We’re starting to see organizations have success using automated compliance frameworks to safeguard sensitive data without stifling their AI innovation. By deploying compliance filters as part of a proactive strategy, businesses don’t have to rely on employees to manually screen the information entered into an LLM, removing the risk of human error. This not only mitigates the risk of compliance-failure-related fines, but it also helps to improve customer trust. With a responsible, scalable approach, more organizations can move beyond experimentation to fully leverage the benefits of LLMs while ensuring regulatory adherence.”

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Andy Boyd, Chief Product Officer at Appfire

“AI is becoming a cornerstone of how organizations approach problem-solving and innovation, helping teams work more efficiently and make smarter decisions. Its ability to streamline workflows and uncover new insights continues to redefine what’s possible across industries. As adoption accelerates, we’re seeing AI optimize the way we work and open doors to entirely new ways of thinking and creating. AI Appreciation Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate these advancements while looking ahead to how this technology will further shape the way we work, create, and connect.”

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Arie Brish, Business Professor

“Automation has replaced human jobs since the Industrial Revolution, yet our quality of life, employment rates, and size of paychecks keep improving. One hundred years from now, AI will be just another step in the same evolution.”

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Christian Buckner, SVP of Data and AI Platform at Altair

“What should AI Appreciation Day really mean? It could be a celebration of progress—of machines that now read contracts, detect anomalies in real-time, and accelerate discoveries in materials, medicine, and manufacturing. Or maybe it should be something quieter. A day to take stock and reflect on how fast this technology is moving, and how uneven its impacts may be.

“Appreciation doesn’t have to mean blind admiration. It can mean stewardship. Acknowledging both the extraordinary possibilities AI unlocks and the instability it can cause. We should appreciate what AI can do—not just because it’s impressive, but because it demands something from us in return: a commitment to use it deliberately, to keep humans in the loop, to ensure that speed doesn’t come at the cost of trust, and that progress doesn’t outpace our principles.

“AI Appreciation Day should remind us that we are not passive observers in this transformation—we’re the architects of how it unfolds.”

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Chris Burchett, Senior Vice President of Generative AI at Blue Yonder

“AI has opened new possibilities across every part of the supply chain, as it integrates automation and explainability into what were once time-consuming and disconnected processes. Decision-makers have begun implementing AI agents, moving beyond the pilot stage, as they become powerful tools that address disruptions, such as tariffs, weather, and geopolitical unrest, improving supply and transportation planning efficiency. What were once processes and decisions made based on dashboards with only a pinhole view of the supply chain network are now synthesized by AI agents, allowing organizations to understand the entire landscape and take explainable and informed actions.

“We are only just beginning to realize what AI is capable of. AI agents will continue to reshape processes across the supply chain, from suppliers to consumers, as organizations implement cost-saving measures. There are many applications for AI agents across the supply chain. A few examples we’re seeing include the use of AI in slotting warehouse inventory, which makes sure products are available where and when they are needed, based on forecasts, so that orders can be filled quickly. Another example is retailers using technology to develop planograms, ensuring proper product placement across different store layouts. In addition, another great example is how AI contributes to sustainability within the supply chain by helping organizations select sustainable suppliers and carriers and making transportation decisions that reduce miles and carbon emissions.

“However, organizations will need to address two main things before they can properly implement AI: their people and their data. A cultural shift will be needed to effectively implement AI into workplaces, such as acknowledging the technology as a teammate that can help alleviate time spent on non-collaborative and non-strategic tasks. These organizations will also need to have a big data strategy in place, ensuring that the information processed by AI models encompasses an end-to-end view for the most efficient decision-making. Addressing these challenges will enable the next innovations in AI, such as multi-agent orchestration, to come to fruition.”

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Geoff Burke, Senior Technology Advisor at Object First

“AI has accelerated technological innovation and opened our minds to new ways of working and living. However, on this AI Appreciation Day, I urge us to take off the rose-colored glasses and recognize the risks and unpredictability the tech creates.

“Bolstered by AI, cyber-attacks are quicker and more sophisticated, and threat actors are finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in quick succession. This essentially means AI has made falling victim to a cyber-attack all but inevitable. I don’t believe all these threats and the extent of their potential scope are fully understood by anyone at this early stage. Large enterprises are most likely to be aware of the risks, to the extent that they would be able to assign dedicated teams of experts to monitor all the evolving problems related to AI and apply fixes as soon as they appear.

“However, mid-sized and small companies, which are likely pursuing AI because of a lack of resources, will be hard-pressed to keep up with emerging threats and challenges. We are not talking about the odd new exploit or virus, to which these types of companies fall victim regularly, but instead about a potential tsunami of new attack vectors. Immutable data backups (i.e., backups that cannot be changed or deleted) are the only sure way to protect data from the potential effects of AI-generated attacks and security shortcomings.”

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Joel Burleson-Davis, Chief Technology Officer at Imprivata

“On this AI Appreciation Day, it’s important to look beyond the headlines about risk and focus on the measurable, positive impact AI is already having, especially in mission-critical sectors like healthcare and manufacturing.

“In healthcare environments, for example, traditional AI and machine learning are helping security teams stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats while maintaining continuity of care. These tools also provide deeper insight into user behavior and system performance, guiding smarter investments and workflow improvements.

“While we should always consider the future risks of a new technology, we should recognize AI as a present-day asset, one that’s helping organizations make faster, more informed decisions. Advances in Generative AI with LLMs are a continuation and evolution of the AI journey we’re already on. The challenge now isn’t whether to embrace AI in cybersecurity–it’s how to scale and govern it responsibly to unlock its full potential.”

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Nick Burling, SVP of Product at Nasuni

Rick Caccia, CEO of WitnessAI

“On AI Appreciation Day, we celebrate not just the power of artificial intelligence but also the opportunity it gives us to lead responsibly. AI is already here; employees are using it, and enterprises are racing to adopt it. But like any high-performance machine, AI needs more than just power—it needs control.

“Think of AI as a sports car: the engine is powerful, but without brakes and steering, it’s a liability. AI governance isn’t about slowing down progress—it’s what enables us to move faster, with confidence. Our latest survey shows 63% of employees are already using AI to boost productivity. But most say they lack clear guidance. That’s a gap and a risk. Enterprises must meet this moment with clarity, gaining full visibility into how employees use AI and establishing control without hindering progress.

“The AI revolution isn’t coming. It’s here. And we have a choice: bolt on safety later or build it into the frame. Let’s choose the latter and make every intelligent decision a secure one.”

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Garrett Calpouzos, Principal Security Researcher at Sonatype

“Amidst the noise about AI’s potential to drive business impact, it’s easy to lose sight of a key cohort that has seen immense progress catalyzed by the implementation of AI: developers. Beyond code creation, AI helps reduce the potential for human errors and minimizes manual, tedious tasks, thereby speeding the time-to-market and improving the quality and maintainability of software. This value cannot be overstated.

“While genAI has driven exciting advancements for this group, it doesn’t come without challenges. Many developers are running into issues with threat detection, hallucinations, and malware. AI Appreciation Day is an important moment to both celebrate how AI has improved the developer experience and shine a light on the need to protect developers from the inherent dangers it brings. We must acknowledge the importance of a balanced coexistence between AI tools and their human counterparts. While AI is changing the landscape of software development, the prevailing sentiment remains that AI is aimed at enhancing human abilities rather than replacing them. Regardless of the momentum we see propelled by AI, strong, human developers are – and will remain – the backbone of progress, governance, and trust. It’s our job to protect our developers on this transformational journey with AI.”

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Ben Canning, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx

“Rather than relegating generative AI to a sidebar function, we are witnessing the shift from AI as an ‘add-on’ to AI as a core part of the workflow. It is about building systems where AI serves as a practical, integrated, and democratized force, putting data and insights into the hands of those who understand the business best.

“The enterprises that are truly benefiting from AI are those that implement it in collaboration with the people using the tool, not as a replacement. AI removes technical barriers, but it is people who move ideas forward. By empowering users with tools that once required teams of engineers, we unlock creativity, speed, and impact at every level of the organization, inspiring a new wave of innovation.”

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Rom Carmel, Co-founder and CEO of Apono

“Unlike static on-prem environments, cloud infrastructure is distributed and dynamic, requiring real-time capabilities to manage access securely and efficiently. As organizations scale and adopt multi-cloud architectures, traditional access controls often fall short, lacking the agility and context awareness needed to keep pace.

“Artificial intelligence plays a critical role in modern access management by enabling just-in-time, least privilege access decisions based on real-time context such as user behavior, access history, and risk signals. This intelligent automation reduces manual overhead, strengthens compliance, and minimizes the attack surface while supporting operational speed and flexibility.

“Modern access management demands smarter, more adaptive solutions to keep organizations secure, compliant, and agile in today’s complex digital landscape.”

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Boris Cipot, Senior Sales Engineer at Black Duck

“AI is a transformative technology that offers numerous benefits across various sectors, including healthcare, where it is used to detect diseases earlier, suggest personalized treatments, and accelerate the discovery of new medicines. However, AI also introduces new risks, particularly cybersecurity and application security. Cyber-criminals leverage AI to automate phishing attacks, bypass traditional defense mechanisms, and create convincing deepfakes.

“Organizations must adopt proactive security measures to mitigate these risks, such as integrating AI-trained security tools to detect AI threats in real-time and protecting AI models from data poisoning and manipulation through robust DevSecOps practices. By staying vigilant and addressing the evolving threats enabled by AI, we can embrace AI at scale with confidence and harness its potential to improve our lives while minimizing its risks.”

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Sean Collins, Vice President of Cross-Border eCommerce & Enterprise Procurement at UniUni

“At UniUni, AI helps us scale speed, reliability, and flexibility in last-mile delivery. We use it to dynamically route drivers based on real-time traffic and weather, flag potential delivery issues before they happen, and offer full visibility to both retailers and customers. Through predictive analytics, we forecast demand, reposition inventory, and scale delivery capacity, especially during peak seasons. The industry is moving from using AI reactively to making it part of long-term planning.”

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Derek Collison, Founder & CEO at Synadia

“As we take the time to reflect on how quickly Agentic AI has evolved over the past year and think about the massive potential benefits it can deliver, it’s also important to think about how users can improve how they communicate with AI agents to avoid Agentic AI failures.

“While many people complain that their ‘AI’s don’t work,’ agents often fail because of poor direction from the user. In reality, the AI likely did exactly what the user wrote, but not what they meant or intended, because the instructions they were provided weren’t clear enough or lacked essential details. To avoid these challenges, users need to become better communicators when interacting with their AI (whether written or spoken). Providing more detail as early as possible helps agents become more attuned to a user’s style of communication, better at inferring what a user may be looking for based on previous interactions, and ultimately improve the accuracy of future recommendations. Additionally, implementing a closed, deterministic feedback loop is also a great way to interact with AI agents.”

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Zander Cook, CRO of Lease End

“At Lease End, we’ve seen firsthand how task-specific AI agents can transform operations and drive real growth. Our text-based follow-up agent now generates 25 percent of our lead-driven revenue, and our Automatic Buyout Financial Agent reduced decision times by 30 percent while boosting customer satisfaction by 20 percent. It’s proof that practical AI can empower teams, scale processes, and deliver better experiences—no Silicon Valley headquarters required.”

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George V. Cornell, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Mark43

“At Mark43, we see the potential that AI has to be a driving force for public safety to work smarter and faster, and keep their communities and their teams safer. Integrated into public safety workflows, AI can enable first responders to concentrate on what matters most: protecting communities and fostering public trust by automating administrative and time-consuming tasks, such as sharing information with responders, writing reports, searching for leads, and summarizing cases.

“AI offers exciting possibilities for agencies to extract real-time insights for improved operations and strategic response – arriving at emergency scenes faster and more prepared, leveraging their teams effectively and efficiently, and solving cases faster. We envision a future where AI-powered public safety solutions enhance officer judgment, accelerate operational speed, and ultimately, save lives.”

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Alex Cox, Director of Threat Intelligence, Mitigation, Escalation (TIME) at LastPass

Tom Craig, Chief Technology Officer at Resonate

“On this AI Appreciation Day, we celebrate how this technology is fundamentally changing the methods and effort involved in how we understand and reach consumers. We’re moving beyond broad demographic targeting to systems that segment, personalize, and optimize interactions through more precise AI-powered data and conversational tools. What used to take weeks of manual work now happens instantly, with results that far exceed traditional methods.

“Marketing teams can more quickly interpret, refine, and deploy campaigns that respond to market shifts as they happen. The adoption of AI agents will lead the charge as they begin to monitor, notify, and ultimately make data-informed decisions on our behalf. This isn’t about replacing creativity or strategic thinking but amplifying what marketers do best. Smart companies aren’t just trying to get the same results with fewer resources; they are envisioning how to get way more done with what they’ve already got.

“The AI wave is upon us, and early movers are already seeing massive benefits. Now is the time for everyone who wants to shape rather than chase the future to experiment, learn, and integrate AI into everyday work. The tools are accessible, the learning curve is manageable, and the upside is massive. And it’s all happening with increasing focus on privacy-preserving methods that deliver meaningful insights without invasive tracking—a win for everyone.”

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Michael Curry, President of Data Modernization at Rocket Software

“AI holds immense promise for transforming how businesses operate, but that promise can only be realized through a strategic, deliberate approach. For many organizations, the most effective starting point is integrating AI with the foundational systems that already power their operations, like the mainframe.

“What often derails early AI efforts isn’t a lack of ambition but a lack of infrastructure readiness. Secure, scalable deployment demands a solid foundation, and too many environments aren’t set up to support that. At Rocket Software, we’re enabling companies to unlock AI’s potential by building on what already works. That means connecting AI initiatives directly to the systems and data that run the business today. By aligning projects to clear business goals and using existing trusted data, organizations can take targeted steps that add up to long-term transformation.

“The leaders in this space aren’t rushing to adopt the latest trend; they’re making smart, sustainable decisions that allow AI to enhance operations without disruption. With the right groundwork, AI becomes a force for insight, automation, and meaningful productivity gains, one step at a time.”

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Leonardo De Araujo, SAP Technology Innovation Leader at Syntax

“As we gear up for another AI Appreciation Day, it’s amazing to see how much Generative AI has grown this year. Organizations are really leaning into Agentic AI to simplify processes across industries like manufacturing, retail, finance, and IT support. These intelligent agents are taking on tasks like using predictive analytics to anticipate maintenance needs in manufacturing, keeping an eye on real-time sales data and inventory in retail supply chains, taking action on system exceptions, and helping finance teams turn month-end reporting into quick, actionable insights.”

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John DiLullo, CEO of Deepwatch

“AI Appreciation Day is a great reminder of how far technology has come and how much stronger we are when human insight and machine intelligence work together.

“In cybersecurity, that partnership is essential. Threats don’t take breaks, and neither do the teams working to stop them. AI helps by spotting patterns, flagging suspicious activity, and speeding up response times. But it’s the people like analysts, engineers, and threat hunters who bring the experience and judgment needed to make the right call or provide detailed insights on what is important.

“It’s not about choosing between humans or AI. It’s about combining the best of both. AI handles the scale and speed; humans bring the insight and strategy. Today we’re not just appreciating AI–we’re celebrating the partnership between people and technology that keeps organizations secure every day.”

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Luiz Domingos, CTO and Head of Large Enterprise R&D at Mitel

“As AI reshapes how organizations operate, its most meaningful contributions lie not in novelty but in delivering practical, trusted outcomes. Real impact comes from implementing AI with a clear purpose and weaving it into everyday workflows. When applied thoughtfully, AI can streamline operations, enhance customer experience, and boost enterprise productivity. We already see this with tools like conversational chatbots, real-time analytics, and intelligent virtual assistants. However, true progress also demands responsible execution. Especially in regulated industries, success hinges on balancing innovation with a strong commitment to data privacy, compliance, and long-term sustainability. AI Appreciation Day reminds us that the future of business transformation isn’t just about what AI can do, but how intentionally and securely we choose to deploy it.”

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Laura Grace Ellis, Vice President of Data and AI at Rapid7

“AI has completely changed how businesses operate. It streamlines processes and helps teams make smarter decisions, leading to better customer outcomes. However, it is important that every day, not just on AI Appreciation Day, we honor the people who tirelessly dedicate their time, knowledge, and drive to building and leveraging these technologies. Their work ensures that AI is a tool for efficiency and a force that can make the world a better place. It is now our responsibility to use this technology with intention, keeping it human-centric, transparent, and ethical, so it can continue to drive meaningful impact.”

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Lisa Erickson, Founder of CoachProAI

“Most people are using AI to work faster. I use it to slow down—to create spaciousness, savor my life, and let my business scale while I sleep well.”

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Devin Ertel, CISO at Menlo Security

“Today, AI is both an asset and a risk for users and organizations navigating the complex landscape of browser security. On one hand, cyber-criminals are using AI to become more innovative and successful in their attacks, fueling a significant rise in sophisticated threats. Menlo’s 2025 State of Browser Security Report revealed a 140% year-over-year increase in browser-based phishing attacks, with nearly 600 incidents of generative AI fraud, demonstrating the efficacy with which threat actors are leveraging AI to craft convincing phishing scams, impersonate trusted brands and websites, and embed malware into documents that appear to be harmless. With the help of AI, these attacks can now bypass traditional security tools by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities and using evasive techniques.

“On the other hand, enterprises can stay one step ahead by harnessing AI to fight back against these threats, making it a critical tool to help organizations prioritize defense. For example, AI-powered techniques like computer vision and real-time behavioral analysis can be leveraged to identify highly evasive threats and stop them in their tracks before they cause harm (and without disrupting the user’s experience on the browser). By taking advantage of the intelligence and protection these tools can provide, organizations can ensure that the browser remains secure, even in the face of sophisticated, AI-driven threats.

“To remain defensive against AI as it continues to evolve and pose security concerns for enterprises, organizations must have the resources in place to detect, understand, and anticipate emerging threats.”

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Sarah Evans, Partner, Head of PR at Zen Media

“AI is the infrastructure now shaping how people discover, evaluate, and trust. I am moving from PR executive to visibility architect expert, and it is the new frontier. For so long, we were focused on getting press; now we help brands train the models that write the summaries that shape the buying cycle. AI Day is an opportunity to highlight the inseparability of strategy and search and to demonstrate that media has become the new metadata.”

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Paula Felstead, Chief Information Officer at HBX Group

“There is huge potential for AI models to enhance and improve the customer experience in travel, which is just one of many common use cases. The challenge for many organizations lies in integrating and utilizing AI solutions at scale across departments, while delivering the accuracy and reliability that customers expect and demand.

“Companies should adopt a human-first approach to AI, seeing it as an enabler. The real value of AI is in supporting employees, not replacing them. AI can help increase efficiency in repetitive, well-defined tasks and assess customer sentiment to better meet their needs. This is especially exciting because it allows professionals to focus on innovation and delivering the kinds of experiences travelers truly want.

“AI has the potential to transform many aspects of business operations, and for forward-thinking companies, it can be a major competitive advantage. But it’s not a cure-all or magic solution. Its impact will depend largely on how well companies understand, manage, and curate their data as a foundation. It will also depend on how thoughtfully the AI model is designed and implemented to solve specific problems. We’re at a fascinating turning point. If we can leverage AI to solve real customer challenges, offer meaningful choices, and empower more informed decisions, everyone wins—and customers will be delighted. If not, the travel industry risks falling short of fully realizing AI’s incredible potential.”

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Russell Fishman, the Sr. Director of Product Management at NetApp

“AI begins with data, not algorithms. Seamless access, strong governance, and secure data foundations are crucial for maximizing the value of data and transforming AI’s potential into real-world impact. Without these, even the most advanced models remain just theoretical promises.”

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Christina Fung, SVP and Head of Global AI Enablement Center of Excellence at CGI

Munu Gandhi, Executive Vice President, President at Xerox IT Solutions

“This AI Appreciation Day is an opportunity to recognize how far the technology has come and how quickly it is evolving from a behind-the-scenes tool into a true digital co-worker. At Xerox, we are focused on deploying agentic AI to handle high-volume, document-based tasks like contract reviews, IT support tickets, and finance workflows. These agents do more than wait for instructions; they anticipate needs and surface insights and take action, helping us accelerate cycle times, improve visibility, and scale our services business.

“One of the most powerful advantages is their ability to bridge the gap between structured and unstructured data, aggregating information across formats to drive smarter decisions and boost productivity. However, unlocking AI’s full potential means training our human colleagues just as much as the models themselves. Teaching people how to collaborate with AI is as critical as deploying it, and that is how we will truly reinvent how work gets done.”

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Matt Garst, SVP at Mendix Americas

“In the world of application development, every day is AI appreciation day. But as AI-produced code is leveraged more widely, it’s important to consider a few key principles to avoid faulty results and maximize ROI on these major investments.

• Quality in is quality out, and data must be sourced ethically and from a variety of origins to ensure a diverse dataset. This helps minimize repetition and reduce bias.
• AI agents must be actively monitored; the worst thing you can do is ‘set it and forget it.’ The modern SDLC requires developers to shift their focus from builders to strategic orchestrators, effectively guiding automation tools.
• Upskilling the existing workforce is non-negotiable. While internal AI use can be a polarizing topic, failing to capitalize on this technology now could leave organizations quickly falling behind. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of resources available, many of them are free.”

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Mark Geene, Senior VP of Product Management at UiPath

“Artificial intelligence has evolved from a helpful tool to an irreplaceable teammate—one that’s reshaping the future of enterprise work. This is especially true given recent developments around AI agents, which are capable of non-deterministic work, serving as an ideal complement to RPA tools that thrive with rule-based tasks.

“This new frontier is not just about AI that thinks, but about creating workflows that allow for responsible, efficient execution based on that thinking. LLMs excel at interpreting nuances and gathering insights, but when it’s time for transactional work, a different set of skills is required, one that prioritizes precision over all else. That’s where deterministic systems—like enterprise-grade robots—come in. The fusion of these capabilities provides the best of both worlds, leveraging agents for the context-based thinking they’re best at, while using automation to extend what they’re capable of. Today, we celebrate AI not just for what it can do, but for how it will continue to enable humans and machines to work smarter together.”

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George Gerchow, Chief Security Officer (CSO) at Bedrock Security

“As we celebrate the endless innovation of artificial intelligence, my thoughts turn to the fundamental elements that truly unlock its potential. Much of my work involves designing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, the powerful engines that drive today’s most dynamic AI systems. These advanced AI capabilities, while transformative, naturally interact with large and often sensitive datasets. This is precisely where Bedrock Security steps in. We’re committed to ensuring that the incredible power of AI is used responsibly, providing the essential protection for the data flowing through these intelligent systems. On this AI Appreciation Day, let’s consider how a proactive approach to security enables both innovation and trust. By securing the foundation of AI, we’re not only advancing technology; we’re building a more secure and confident future for artificial intelligence.”

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Mike Giresi, Global CIO at Vertiv

“This AI Appreciation Day, as the world prepares to enter the ‘next phase’ of AI, industry leaders must prioritize future-ready AI critical infrastructure. That is only possible if we design systems and cultures that unlock–and even build upon–human potential. All too often, business leaders rush to deploy AI models without clear goals in mind. When applied thoughtfully, AI can eliminate inefficiencies, simplify business processes, and give humans more time to focus on things like innovation and strategic thinking.

“Organizations will need to focus on the right talent, incentives, and workflows around emerging AI tools and infrastructure to successfully outpace competition and deliver lasting impact.”

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Saurabh Giri, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Voltage Park

“On AI Appreciation Day, we reflect on AI’s profound impact on humanity. It’s already helping to accelerate scientific discovery, satisfy curiosity, create better products, enhance productivity, and unlock new avenues for creativity. At Voltage Park, our mission is to fuel this progress. We believe that the immense power of AI shouldn’t be confined to a select few. By providing world-class AI infrastructure at incredible value, we empower a diverse community of thinkers and builders—from individual researchers to nimble startups and large enterprises. We handle the complexity of the hardware and software stack so our customers can focus on what they do best: use AI to continue to transform our world for the better.”

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Phillip Goericke, Chief Technology Officer of Engineering at NMI

“Reflecting on AI Appreciation Day, I’m most intrigued by the rise of agentic AI in development workflows. It represents a real shift from AI as a passive assistant to a more autonomous problem-solver. As these agents integrate with more enterprise systems, I expect them to become increasingly reliable. The payoff? Top engineers can spend less time writing basic code, tests, and documentation, and more time on architecture, performance, innovation, and delivering great user experiences.

“Instead of just suggesting code snippets or summarizing docs, agentic AI is now tackling multi-step, complex tasks under developer guidance. It’s generating entire codebases, debugging, and triaging issues from start to finish. These tools are starting to behave more like proactive junior engineers than the autocomplete tools we used just a year ago.”

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Lakshmikant Gundavarapu, Chief Innovation Officer at Tredence

“While we celebrate AI Appreciation Day, it’s important to recognize that our appreciation should extend beyond AI breakthroughs—it should also include responsibility. As agentic AI and gen AI systems become deeply embedded in how today’s businesses operate and make decisions, the need for strong, transparent governance has never been more crucial.

“We’re at a turning point where AI systems aren’t just supporting work; they’re making decisions on our behalf. That means explainability, auditability, and human oversight can’t be afterthoughts; businesses must keep them at the forefront. From model traceability to bias mitigation and regulatory alignment, governance will unlock AI’s full potential while maintaining public trust. It’s not just about moving fast; it’s about moving forward responsibly.”

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Aditi Gupta, Senior Manager of Professional Services Consulting at Black Duck

“AI has transformed numerous aspects of our lives, from revolutionizing the pharmaceutical sector with faster and more efficient clinical trials to improving medical diagnosis and agricultural productivity. It has also enabled scientists to make significant strides in environmental conservation and even helped translate animal languages. As we celebrate the benefits of AI, we are reminded that with great power comes great responsibility. A single security flaw can render even the most advanced AI system useless, underscoring the need for careful consideration and robust security measures in AI development.”

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Amy Harding, On-page SEO Manager at RankBrain

“AI is transforming almost every industry, removing barriers, aiding vital discoveries, and changing the landscape of work, home, and beyond. Understanding and strategically utilising AI is vital when it comes to competing in almost any marketplace. AI is providing the answers, but we’re still asking the questions. Those prompts are sculpting the future landscape. For AI to have the most value, it needs to be understood, given the full picture, and reviewed by experts in the field.”

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Patrick Harding, Chief Architect at Ping Identity

“AI Appreciation Day is a timely reminder of the incredible promise and growing complexity that AI brings to our digital world. From deepfakes to autonomous agents, AI has transformed the landscape of identity-based cyber threats, making it increasingly difficult to verify who, or what, is behind a digital interaction. Without the right safeguards, these technologies risk eroding the trust that underpins everything from financial services to healthcare. Yet AI is also a powerful tool for defense. When deployed responsibly, it can enhance real-time risk detection, behavioral analysis, and adaptive authentication, helping organizations prevent fraud while improving the user experience.

“As AI continues to evolve and agents become more autonomous, now is the time for organizations to rethink identity models, ensure secure delegation, and prepare systems to recognize and authenticate not just people but also the intelligent processes acting on their behalf. Building and maintaining trust in every digital interaction is more essential than ever, and organizations must ensure their identity strategies evolve in lockstep with the technology driving today’s transformation.”

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Patrick Harrington, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at MetaRouter

“Having witnessed AI’s evolution—from early data processing challenges to today’s agentic systems—what’s become increasingly clear is how we’ve moved from asking ‘what can we do with all this data?’ to ‘how can we do it responsibly while maintaining control?’ The real breakthrough isn’t just that AI can now handle complex workflows autonomously, but that we’re finally recognizing data ownership as the cornerstone of sustainable AI innovation. The most exciting chapter ahead is democratizing AI capabilities while keeping the most valuable asset—first-party data—exactly where it belongs: with the companies that generated it.”

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Vall Herard, Founder and CEO of Saifr

“AI Appreciation Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the remarkable evolution we’ve witnessed—from large language models that impressed us with their content generation capabilities to the emergence of agentic AI systems that can plan, reason, and execute complex multi-step workflows. What strikes me most about this transformation is how it’s fundamentally changing our relationship with data quality and human expertise. The most successful AI implementations I’ve observed combine high-quality, curated datasets with meaningful human oversight, creating systems that are both more capable and more reliable. As we move into this new era of AI that can break down sophisticated business challenges and solve them systematically, the organizations seeing the greatest success view AI as a tool for human augmentation rather than total replacement.”

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Jurgen Hekkink, Head of Product Marketing at AnywhereNow

“On AI Appreciation Day, we recognize the incredible impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is having on the people at the heart of customer service, the contact center agents. AI is quietly revolutionizing how contact centers operate. Intelligent automation now handles routine queries swiftly and accurately, drastically cutting wait times and improving customer satisfaction. This allows human agents to focus on what they do best: solving complex problems, connecting with customers, and delivering personalized experiences.

“AI-powered assistants play a crucial role behind the scenes, offering real-time guidance, surfacing relevant information, and reducing the stress of multitasking under pressure. With AI support, agents are better equipped to resolve issues on the first contact, boosting critical performance metrics like Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS).

“However, it’s not just about customer outcomes. AI is also reshaping the agent experience for the better. By automating repetitive tasks, agents gain more time for meaningful work. They enjoy greater autonomy, reduced cognitive load, and have a clearer sense of purpose. This leads to higher job satisfaction, reduced burnout, and a stronger, more resilient workplace culture.

“Today, we celebrate how AI is enhancing the role of humans in contact centers. AI is helping agents work smarter, feel increasingly supported, and deliver service that’s faster, more consistent, and more human than ever.”

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Ezzeldin Hussein, Regional Senior Director of Sales Engineering (META) at SentinelOne

“On this World AI Appreciation Day, we pause to reflect—not just on how far we’ve come, but on the limitless future ahead. A decade ago, artificial intelligence was largely experimental, often misunderstood, and cautiously adopted. Today, it shapes our everyday lives—from personalized healthcare and smarter cities to securing cyberspace and decoding complex global challenges.

“What once seemed like science fiction is now the pulse of progress. AI no longer just analyzes data; it reasons, predicts, and adapts. It collaborates with humans, augments our creativity, and even safeguards our digital and physical environments. In cybersecurity, for instance, AI has shifted the balance, empowering defenders with predictive insights and autonomous threat response.

“Yet this is only the beginning. The next frontier lies in ethical, responsible AI, where transparency, fairness, and human oversight are embedded into every algorithm. We are stepping into an era where AI becomes not just a tool, but a trusted partner.

“As we appreciate what AI has already enabled, let’s also imagine what it can do—if guided by human values, inclusive design, and bold innovation. The future is not about AI replacing us, but AI elevating us.”

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Barbie Ann Jurolan, Head of Content at Which Real Estate Agent

“As Head of Content at Which Real Estate Agent, I’ve experienced firsthand how AI has transformed our content creation and SEO strategies. Over numerous prompts and projects, it’s remarkable to see how effectively AI can capture nuanced instructions, delivering tailored, insightful, and highly engaging content.

“What once took days can now be achieved in hours. AI allows us to scale efficiently, maintaining high-quality standards without compromising authenticity or creativity. It’s not just about productivity; it’s about enriching our ability to communicate more deeply with homeowners, understanding their journeys, emotions, and needs.

“From suburb-specific articles deeply rooted in local insights to emotionally engaging blogs supported by precise market statistics, it has consistently demonstrated an impressive ability to align with our brand voice and strategic goals. The partnership between human creativity and AI-powered efficiency has elevated our organic reach, refined our funnel, and enhanced our user experience.

“Thank you, AI, for becoming an indispensable part of our content journey. Here’s to continued innovation and impactful storytelling!”

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Nicholas Kathmann, Chief Information Security Officer at LogicGate

“AI presents enormous opportunities for a vast array of enterprise value drivers, streamlining processes and increasing productivity across functions like governance, risk, and compliance (GRC). However, when implementing any new AI solution, it’s critical to do so with GRC top of mind. Fast and responsible AI implementation is possible, but success is dependent upon close alignment to organizational needs and goals, in addition to being able to monitor evolving AI regulations and risks in real-time. Having the ability to pivot and scale quickly with AI will allow organizations to derive the most value from the technology while keeping them secure and compliant as the risk landscape shifts with continued, and necessary, AI innovation.”

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Spencer Kimball, CEO and co-founder at Cockroach Labs

“AI Appreciation Day should absolutely celebrate how far we’ve come, but it should also spotlight how far we still have yet to go with AI. We’re entering an era where machines don’t just think, they act autonomously and continuously. They don’t pause, and they don’t sleep. They operate at a frequency our systems were never built to withstand. So, the real constraint on AI isn’t model quality; it’s the fragility of the infrastructure beneath it. If we don’t modernize the legacy systems underneath, even the most powerful AI won’t perform when the architecture fails. The future of AI won’t be defined by what it imagines but by whether our systems can withstand what it unleashes. We can only unlock AI’s full potential if we first build the infrastructure to keep up. Until then, we can be proud of the progress we have made—and focus on building the foundation to take it even further.”

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Oliver King-Smith, Founder of smartR.ai

“Never trust your AI, unless you know where its brain is!

“I believe in ‘Assistive Intelligence’ rather than AI. Why? Because the magic isn’t in having AI take over entirely—it’s in creating partnerships where human and machine intelligence contribute their unique strengths, together. In an environment increasingly dominated by tech scares, algorithms that control the content we see, and uncertainty over the future, we want to rebuild the relationship between humans and machines and create a world where exciting new technologies work for us to enhance our lives.”

“In the race to AI adoption, remember: it’s better to arrive safely than to crash spectacularly before reaching the finish line.”

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Mark Klarzynski, Chief Strategy Officer, CTO, and Founder at PEAK:AIO

“As AI becomes a core part of how businesses operate, from private GPTs trained on internal knowledge to real-time insights at the edge, the infrastructure supporting it needs to evolve. Traditional IT systems were never built for AI. They stall under the demands of high-speed compute, large-scale data, and the energy intensity of modern workloads.

“Enterprises are now shifting to purpose-built solutions that match the scale and speed of AI itself. Whether it is enabling doctors to diagnose from imaging data in seconds or helping financial institutions run secure, in-house language models across terabytes of private data, the need for AI-native infrastructure is no longer optional. It is strategic. From research labs to enterprise boardrooms, the systems powering AI must be as advanced and agile as the AI they support.”

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Ryan Knisley, Chief Product Strategist at Axonius

“Security and IT teams today struggle with disjointed tools and static inventories, creating the very data fragmentation that often makes AI unreliable. A cybersecurity asset intelligence platform addresses this foundational problem by correlating data from hundreds of sources to build a single, trustworthy source of truth for every asset. In this way, a comprehensive asset intelligence platform, when paired with AI, can provide the foundation for the decisive, intelligent action needed to preemptively tackle exposures, security risks, and operational inefficiencies with confidence. If deployed this way, AI can become a force multiplier, helping teams identify risks earlier, automate routine fixes, and zero in on the issues that deserve human attention.”

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Mike Kovetskyi, Founding AI Engineer at PortalAI

“I appreciate AI for one powerful reason: it’s democratizing creation. We’re in the middle of a new technological revolution that empowers anyone, not just studios or professionals, to co-create art.

“At Portal.ai, we’re living this future. Anyone can launch a new intellectual property by creating the first episode of a story and opening it up for collaboration. Others can join in by continuing it with new episodes, together forming something bigger than any single creator. What emerges? A high-quality series born from the shared imagination of talented individuals. This model transforms how we build communities around stories and lets every fan shape the future of the movies and worlds they love.

“This isn’t just social media 2.0—it’s the foundation for the next cultural phenomenon. The next Harry Potter or Star Wars might not come from Hollywood, but from a group of inspired fans and creators on a platform like ours.”

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Boris Kuiper, COO at Smoothstack

“AI isn’t a free lunch—it’s an accelerator, but only if you pair it with the right guardrails, oversight, and skills. At Smoothstack, we see AI as a tool to amplify great developers, not replace them. Our adapted training model equips talent with the skills to navigate AI confidently: when to trust it, when to intervene, and how to drive outcomes faster without cutting corners. We’re building a workforce that’s not just AI-aware, but AI-capable and future-ready.”

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Aniket Kumar, Digital Marketing Team Lead at Kellton

“On AI Appreciation Day, we’re celebrating how artificial intelligence is not just streamlining operations but profoundly enhancing human capabilities within the enterprise. AI’s powerful ability to connect and synthesize vast, often disparate data streams leads to smarter decisions and unparalleled efficiencies in complex workflows. It’s revolutionizing how businesses innovate, enabling new levels of productivity and helping teams manage previously disparate information sources with ease. Ultimately, AI’s greatest contribution lies in its role as an indispensable co-pilot, augmenting human ingenuity and transforming how we leverage disparate insights to build the future of technology responsibly.”

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Anjan Kundavaram, Chief Product Officer at Fivetran

“AI Appreciation Day is a moment to celebrate the incredible progress in artificial intelligence—but it’s also a reminder of the invisible foundation that makes it possible: data. AI is only as powerful, trustworthy, and transformative as the data infrastructure beneath it. That means unified, reliable, governed data accessible in real-time, not siloed or fragmented. As we look ahead, the focus shouldn’t just be on what AI can do, but what it stands on. Without a strong foundation, even the most advanced systems can’t succeed.”

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JD Lasica, Startup Founder, Entrepreneur, Technologist, and Author

“While we’ve been working in the AI space for six years at Authors A.I. and remain huge proponents of how AI can modernize the craft of fiction writing, we’re constantly reminded of the deep skepticism the public has about AI. (Just look at the self-driving cars being set on fire in San Francisco, a city known for its embrace of tech innovations.) At its heart, I think there’s an underlying concern that for all its benefits, AI will chip away at our social fabric and lead us into a future where many of the values we hold dear will be replaced by something more cold, more efficient, less human. The best thing AI proponents can do for AI Appreciation Day is to keep in mind that AI and AGI are not ends in themselves but rather are vehicles to help us advance our shared humanity.”

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Andrea Lechner-Becker, Chief Strategy Officer at GNW Consulting

“This AI Appreciation Day, let’s talk about what we should be appreciating:

• Not AI’s ability to write a blog in 10 seconds.
• Not the endless debate over whether AI will take our jobs.
• But the very real shift AI is forcing in how we think, communicate, and run our businesses.

“Because here’s the truth: AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a mirror. It shows you exactly where your strategy is bloated. Where your positioning isn’t clear. Where your content is generic. Where your sales enablement actually needs work.

“We used to hide behind ‘That’s how it’s always been.’ Now AI says: Cool, but here’s a better way — and here’s three examples, two frameworks, and a fresh tagline while we’re at it.

“At GNW, we don’t treat AI like a novelty. We treat it like a strategic advisor with zero chill and a surprisingly good eye for brand tone. From custom GPTs that coach our consultants to AI-led audits of messaging and workflows, we’re not experimenting with AI. We’re scaling with it, and you should be too.”

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Jay Litkey, SVP of FinOps & Cloud at Flexera

“For AI Appreciation Day, it’s important to recognize AI’s transformative impact on businesses, from automation to data-driven decision-making. Already, 72% of organizations report currently using GenAI either extensively or sparingly, and another 26% are experimenting with the technology. As AI becomes an increasingly powerful tool for enabling business operations, it’s critical to balance this technology innovation with cloud costs, effective governance, and digital literacy. A structured approach to AI integration also involves setting clear guidelines, evaluating AI tools based on security and efficiency considerations, and defining success metrics to measure impact and align with business goals.

“The future of AI is promising, and adopting effective best practices early on will help organizations unlock the full potential of AI and drive sustainable growth.”

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Cyndy Lobb, Chief Product Officer at Forter

“Across industries, AI is no longer just operating behind the scenes, and digital commerce is no exception. AI is stepping into the role of the shopper, acting autonomously on behalf of consumers to compare prices, initiate checkouts, redeem loyalty points, and more. With more power comes new risks. Brands must layer in trust and identity intelligence at every step of the journey, upgrading beyond traditional fraud defenses to validate non-human identities in real-time. On AI Appreciation Day, it’s important to recognize that the future of commerce rests on responsible, outcome-driven AI innovation that preserves security, transparency, and trusted customer experiences.”

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Adam Luciano, VP of Product Management at MariaDB

Danny Manimbo, Principal and ISO & AI Practice Leader at Schellman

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Stephen Manley, Chief Technology Officer at Druva

“AI innovation is exploding, but so are the risks. As organizations race from pilot to production, a successful AI environment is built on more than GPUs, LLMs, and optimism. AI demands built-in security, governance, and resilience. AI amplifies underlying data challenges, exposing weaknesses in many organizations’ data foundations. Security and IT leaders must drive accountability into the business. Are our training data and models secure? Can we store and explain AI outputs? Are we data privacy compliant? Most importantly, can we prove it?”

“If you ignore the fundamentals of data security, privacy, and recovery, AI will leave your business exposed. For example, training data is often sensitive and stored across fragmented systems, increasing the risk of leaks. Additionally, cyber attackers are now trying to poison that training data in just the latest attempt to breach your security.

“Fortunately, AI is new enough that we can build in zero-trust. The key is data. With automated backup and centralized oversight of the data used, generated, and logged by AI, you can ensure visibility, auditability, and compliance across AI systems. AI hardware and software will evolve quickly, so a secure, centralized view of the data is the only thing you can trust.

“AI success demands strong data foundations. IT leaders must bake in security, governance, and transparency from the ground up. Those who lead the charge with clear oversight and accountability may not make the most noise, but they’ll be the ones who win the race.”

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Sandeep Menon, CEO & Co-Founder at Auxia

“The CMO role is changing entirely due to AI. After speaking with dozens of marketing executives this year, the same pattern emerges everywhere: traditional marketing structures have become unsustainable. The old marketing model demanded sprawling support ecosystems—just to enable 10 marketers, you often needed multiple data analysts, content designers, agency copywriters, brand strategists, visual designers, QA specialists, project managers, and platform operations staff.

“This bloated setup didn’t just slow execution—it drained resources, created cross-functional bottlenecks, and made agile iteration nearly impossible. Every change required coordination across multiple teams, leading to delays, misaligned messaging, and missed opportunities. Worse, by the time insights reached the surface, consumer behavior had often already shifted, making the response ineffective.

“AI is changing this through role compression, merging previously distinct functions into unified capabilities. We’re witnessing the rise of the supermarketer who combines strategic thinking with AI-powered analytics and creative vision with data-driven decisions. These professionals work alongside AI agents that handle the technical and operational heavy lifting, freeing them to focus on strategy, creativity, and customer experience.

“Today’s supermarketer sets objectives and guardrails for AI systems that execute millions of micro-decisions automatically. They use decision agents to orchestrate personalized experiences for each individual customer in real-time, analyst agents to accelerate insights that would take human analysts weeks to discover, and content agents to automatically generate and continuously optimize hundreds of touchpoints across channels. This isn’t about replacing human creativity – it’s about augmenting it with machine intelligence that scales.

“On AI Appreciation Day, we’re celebrating the rise of the supermarketer. Companies that embrace this new model will create a competitive advantage that compounds through refined customer experiences that traditional marketing structures cannot match. The age of the supermarketer isn’t just a future vision – it is just around the corner.”

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Lee McClendon, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Tricentis

“As the AI era continues to evolve, speed has become a key measure of success for enterprises of all sizes and across industries. Increased velocity, however, introduces increased risk, especially when delivering high-quality software. This tension has long challenged DevOps teams, but advancements in agentic AI are already beginning to resolve it.

“AI agents are marking a paradigm shift in software testing. By supporting tasks such as test case generation, test data management, and manual test automation, agentic AI can automate baseline testing to ensure high-impact areas are thoroughly covered, allowing human testers the time to focus on deeper, more explorative testing that drives innovation, strengthens system resilience, and improves long-term outcomes.

“AI apprehension is easing. Nine in 10 CIOs and CTOs trust AI agents to independently make critical software release decisions. As adoption grows, agentic AI further demonstrates that organizations don’t need to view speed versus quality as a balancing act: they can, and will, work in tandem to drive meaningful results.”

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Brian McMullin, Senior Vice President of Product at Network Solutions

“AI is transforming how we do business and empowering smaller business owners to compete on a more level playing field. It’s inspiring to see entrepreneurs gain confidence and unlock new opportunities that may have once been out of reach. While a recent survey shows many SMBs remain cautious, citing concerns around accuracy, control, and integration, AI is already making business management more equitable and efficient. Notably, just 24% of SMBs have used AI for website updates in the past six months, yet those who have report significant time savings and improved performance. On AI Appreciation Day, we should celebrate the promise of AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and growth for businesses of every size.”

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Meghan McQueen, Co-founder & Marketing Manager at GreenTag

“It’s wild to think how deeply AI is woven into the DNA of work… and yet, it feels like we’ve only just scratched the surface. Consumer AI is still in it’s infancy—most people haven’t experienced what can be accomplished when tools are designed with empathy and real-world use in mind. That’s what’s most exciting! Being part of a wave that’s building for everyday people outside their professional lives.

“When we can get to a point of removing toil at work, at home, and in our personal interests, we’ll finally be using technology for its true purpose: to make the lives of humans better. Here’s to building better tools, solving deeper problems, and staying curious!”

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Jimmy Mesta, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at RAD Security

“Security teams use stacks that generate thousands of signals a minute across dozens of tools. It’s no longer possible to define every relationship between those signals with rules alone. AI is now actually the only way teams can keep up. Instead of using clumsy rules that keep breaking, AI can spot patterns, connect events across multiple parts of the security stack, and take action fast enough to matter. It’s basically necessary to use AI for at least some of these tasks, if you want a lean security team to continue to function at scale with a mature stack.”

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AJ Moffitt, Senior Editor at Tandem Buzz

“I asked my AI to write something for AI Appreciation Day. Its response:

“AI isn’t replacing us, it’s reflecting us—our biases, our brilliance, our blind spots. The appreciation isn’t just for the tech. It’s for the teams training it, challenging it, and choosing to use it wisely. If AI is a mirror, let’s make sure we’re proud of what’s looking back.”
– Elias, Language Model, Prompt-Driven Workhorse, and Unofficial Typing Coach

“I appreciate that if I get frustrated with my predictive model helper, I can yell at it and won’t hurt its feelings…because it doesn’t have any. I also appreciate that I’ve trained it with a sense of humor, or else using it would be too boring.”

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Michelle Muncy-Silva, Educator, Podcaster, and AI Creative

“Since launching the Empowered by AI podcast, I’ve learned that generative AI isn’t just a tool, it’s a catalyst. I’ve interviewed women from around the globe who are using it to reclaim time, amplify creativity, and build businesses that reflect their values. Barriers that existed before have been removed. And what impresses me most is how AI, when placed in the hands of thoughtful, purpose-driven women, becomes a force for equity, innovation, and deeply personal transformation.”

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Siroui Mushegian, Chief Information Officer at Barracuda

“As a CIO, integrating AI into the foundation of your organization is extremely critical. Organizations that are thriving today are the ones that are implementing AI into their security stack with purpose, speed, and alignment with their business outcomes. It’s not only about implementing the right tools to keep up with AI–it’s also about creating company infrastructure and culture needed to support AI-powered innovation. As a CIO, integrating AI into the fabric of the organization has been essential, allowing my team to focus on the most important business initiatives while staying competitive through embracing new technology and staying adaptive. As the industry continues to evolve, AI has redefined leadership by guiding company leaders toward new ways of thinking and delivering value.”

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Oded Nagel, CEO of CTERA

“Artificial Intelligence holds the promise of transforming businesses across every industry. However, the real magic happens when data is readily accessible and properly managed. In a ready state, data becomes the fuel for AI systems, enhancing their ability to produce actionable insights and drive strategic decisions. This empowers companies to innovate rapidly, respond to market changes, and meet customer demands with precision. When data flows seamlessly into AI algorithms, it enables smarter forecasting, more personalized customer experiences, and overall efficiency improvements. Companies must prioritize having their data organized and accessible, as it is the key to unlocking AI’s transformative potential.”

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Gal Naor, CEO of StorONE

“AI Appreciation Day is a great time to acknowledge how AI is solving real problems in the enterprise storage sector. An effective example is AI-powered auto tiering. Rather than relying on fixed schedules or manual policies, AI observes how data is used and moves it between flash and disk tiers based on actual workload behavior. This ensures that frequently accessed data remains on high-performance storage, while infrequently used data is shifted to lower-cost media without affecting application performance.

“This kind of automation simplifies operations while improving resource efficiency. It creates a storage environment that continuously adapts to changing demands, reducing overhead and supporting consistent performance at scale. As we celebrate AI appreciation today, it is worth recognizing the critical role it plays in making data storage smarter, more efficient, and ready for the future.”

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David Newhoff, Chief Product Officer at Mixbook

From Tool to Voice: AI as a Catalyst for Creative Ownership

“AI can help anyone, regardless of experience, create something beautiful and meaningful. As these tools become more advanced, we must ensure they elevate a person’s voice rather than replace it. Personalization should never come at the cost of authenticity. That’s why we build AI tools that support creative ownership, helping people say, ‘This is who I am, this is what matters to me.'”

Rediscovering Meaning: How AI Will Deepen Our Memories

“We’re just beginning to understand how AI can deepen our relationship with the past. Memory is messy, emotional, and deeply human. AI, when used with care and empathy, can help us sift through the noise to find the meaning within it. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking the right questions, encouraging people to explore the meaning behind moments and memories. In that meaning are the seeds to our most important stories. AI will help people go beyond the scroll, beyond the swipe, to rediscover the significance in the moments that might otherwise be lost.”

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Joe Nicastro, Field CTO at Legit Security

“AI is and should be considered a mix of new risk and new opportunity. We see that clearly in cybersecurity, where it’s changing both what we secure and how we secure it.

“For example, more than 60% of organizations were using AI tools like GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT to generate code in 2024, and that number has already jumped to over 90% this year. But AI is trained on code from all over the internet, not all of it good or secure. AI-generated code has already been shown to introduce things like data exposure risks, supply chain issues, licensing or copyright issues, or even just outdated and vulnerable libraries into production environments.

“The other piece is volume. GitHub data shows AI is now generating up to 30% of Python functions in commits, meaning we’re not just writing code faster, we’re creating more code, and not necessarily at the quality level of human-generated work. And let’s not forget, the AI tools themselves can be a risk. As an example, just a few months ago, our researchers found a major vulnerability in GitLab’s AI coding assistant, GitLab Duo, that could let attackers manipulate outputs and sneak in malicious code.

“We need to recognize these risks and adapt with new types of code testing, updated threat modeling, and better visibility into what’s flowing through development environments, both code and tooling.

“At the same time, AI brings real opportunity. Its ability to analyze massive amounts of data means we can identify and prioritize vulnerabilities faster than ever. And if developers are already using AI assistants to write code, we have the chance to use those same assistants to catch issues early, embedding security into the development process itself.

“AI is adding risk, but it’s also giving us powerful new ways to manage that risk more effectively. Organizations that lean in now will have an edge. Those that don’t will find themselves playing catch-up, especially as the industry moves toward widespread AI adoption and an expected 80% of the workforce needing AI skills by 2027.”

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Dr. Tina Nikoukhah, Director of Research at GetReal Security

“One important area where generative AI raises significant concerns is the spread of synthetic content. As tools like deepfake generation services become easier to use and access, both good and bad actors are taking advantage, ultimately muddying the ability to determine whether content is natural or synthetic. This can lead to bad consequences not just for enterprises or governments, but for all individuals as well. Therefore, as these tools become more accessible, the need for tools that can accurately detect synthetic content and malicious deepfakes has never been greater.”

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Yoram Novick, CEO of Zadara

“In recognition of AI Appreciation Day, it is worth highlighting how Edge AI is shaping the future of autonomy across industries. In 2025, Edge AI is playing a massive role in enabling autonomous systems to make independent, real-time decisions with minimal human intervention. From self-driving cars navigating complex environments to smart factories optimizing production processes, Edge AI is now delivering localized intelligence that operates well even in places where network connectivity is limited. This autonomy reduces reliance on cloud connectivity and improves operational efficiency across industries. As AI models become even more advanced and small models enable high-quality AI inference on devices with limited computing power, Edge AI will continue to drive innovation by empowering devices and systems to analyze data, detect patterns, and respond without centralized oversight.”

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Ted Oade, Director of Product Marketing at Spectra Logic

“Artificial Intelligence has moved from a promising technology to a foundational force reshaping industries, workflows, and human potential. On AI Appreciation Day 2025, it’s worth pausing to recognize not only what AI can do but what it enables when developed and deployed responsibly.

“From revolutionizing healthcare diagnostics to enhancing supply chains and accelerating discovery, AI’s contributions are profound. Yet behind every breakthrough is a vast ecosystem: data, infrastructure, compute, energy, and increasingly, ethical responsibility.

“AI is not magic; it’s data-driven. Every stage—from training to inference—depends on scalable, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure. That includes storage. As models grow and datasets multiply, energy-efficient data storage becomes mission-critical. Cold and infrequently accessed data, in particular, must be handled with sustainability in mind to free up resources for high-performance computing.

“As power-hungry GPU architectures drive demand, the conversation must include energy-aware system design, intelligent data lifecycle management, and thoughtful storage tiering. The future of AI isn’t just intelligent—it must be efficient, secure, and sustainable.

“As we celebrate the achievements of AI, we should also champion responsible development: transparency, bias mitigation, and environmental impact. Appreciating AI means understanding its full context—technical, operational, and ethical.”

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Sergio Oliveira, Director of Development at DesignRush

“AI isn’t just about automation. It’s about redistributing time so people can focus on thinking, solving, and creating. The tools are evolving fast, but the real progress comes when teams learn how to use AI thoughtfully. It should not be used to replace effort, but to enhance it. We’ve seen the biggest wins when AI helps surface insights we might have missed, not just speed up what we were already doing.”

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Chris Opat, SVP of Cloud Operations at Backblaze

“We recognize how artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the world, and for us, the cloud storage industry is no exception. Our commitment to our customers is to make it astonishingly easy for them to use their data how they want, and the AI ecosystem has given rise to entirely new use cases that put unprecedented demand on our worldwide platform. AI customers need to egress and move large quantities of data exceptionally fast, often at speeds of 400gbps or greater. Backblaze has focused on providing an infrastructure to meet these networking throughput demands, simplifying the landscape of connecting AI datasets to where the GPUs are, in strategic compute partners.”

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Dylan Owen, CISO at Nightwing

“This AI Appreciation Day, it’s important to recognize that AI itself is a strategic imperative, and an indispensable tool for enhancing defensive cyber and threat intelligence while empowering human experts. Yet, without clear visibility, robust oversight, and stringent security controls, AI can introduce unseen risks and expand our attack surface. AI systems often access sensitive information and critical infrastructure, increasing the risk of data breaches and cyber-attacks. Moreover, as these systems increasingly interact and connect with one another, they create more potential entry points for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities. True appreciation means embracing responsible deployment to ensure AI acts as a force multiplier, not a hidden vulnerability. Its next phase must focus on ethical governance and human partnership to build resilience and keep us mission-ready against evolving threats.”

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Zen Piotrowski, President of CMIT Solutions of Pittsburgh South

“Generative AI has the potential to provide Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) with tremendous productivity and profit opportunities. With AI, research can be reduced by 50%, businesses can quickly prepare for meetings, and first drafts of proposals can be written in minutes versus hours. However, SMBs need to take precautions to protect themselves from new cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities. They must prioritize security, data privacy, and compliance when integrating AI solutions into their business processes.

“Today, many employees of these organizations may be utilizing AI without their employer’s knowledge. They could be utilizing tools that provide backdoors for potential cybersecurity attacks, such as allowing phishing and ransomware to bypass email SPAM filters. Worse, they could introduce ‘data poisoning,’ which is a means of intentionally adding false information or malicious data into an AI model’s training set to corrupt its learning process.”

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Dan Pinto, CEO & Co-Founder at Fingerprint

“It’s important to reflect on three transformative ways AI has reshaped the digital world. First, AI has enhanced the consumer purchasing journey, enabling businesses to deliver personalized experiences that dynamically adapt to individual preferences, browsing patterns, and needs, creating unique, tailored interactions and recommendations that would be impossible to achieve at scale through traditional methods.

“Second, AI has allowed organizations to strengthen their defenses against malicious actors by using sophisticated technology like device intelligence to detect and analyze behavioral patterns, enabling businesses to identify and respond to threats faster than any team of human analysts.

“Third, AI has democratized access to complex analytical capabilities that were once only available to large enterprises with substantial technical resources. Small businesses and individual creators with minimal coding experience can now use automation tools to develop simple apps and websites.

“However, this AI Appreciation Day also serves as a moment for reflection about AI adoption. While we celebrate AI’s capabilities, we must maintain intelligent human oversight, creating guardrails that allow AI agents to serve as effective decision-makers without reducing them to rigid, rule-based systems that stifle their adaptive potential.

“Organizations must also remain vigilant about the dual-use nature of AI technologies, recognizing that the same tools enhancing legitimate business operations can be weaponized by bad actors for sophisticated fraud schemes that can easily bypass traditional detection methods. The path forward requires embracing AI’s transformative potential while implementing thoughtful governance frameworks, preserving innovation and security.”

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Rahul Pradhan, VP Product and Strategy – AI and Data at Couchbase

“In honor of AI Appreciation Day, let’s talk about the role memory plays in building effective AI agents. Memory is the difference between a chatbot that merely answers simple questions and an autonomous agent that accumulates, learns, and adapts. When an agent can reference prior goals, intermediate states, and user preferences, its decision‑making resembles a seasoned colleague: deeply contextual, self‑consistent, and increasingly valuable with every interaction.

“Architecturally, this requires a layered memory stack: ultra‑fast in‑context buffers for the current conversation, a high-dimensional vector store for semantic retrieval, and a durable operational and analytical data store that captures long‑term episodic knowledge. Without this multi-tier memory architecture, agentic AI risks becoming brilliant in the moment yet amnesic at scale.”

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Hari Prasad, Founder and CEO of Yosi Health

“AI is transforming healthcare by turning fragmented data and manual workflows into intelligent, connected systems. By automating routine tasks and uncovering critical insights, it enables clinicians to operate at the top of their license and spend more quality time with patients for better, faster diagnoses.”

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Matt Psencik, Director of Security and Product Design Research at Tanium

“Generative AI has become an invaluable tool for cybersecurity professionals to speed up research, automate mundane tasks, and explain complex code, essentially acting as an on-demand digital expert that expands skill sets and boosts efficiency.

“At the same time, the rapid advances in AI-generated content are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, blurring the line between real and synthetic content. This is where the risks come in: deepfakes and similar hyper-realistic content provide a striking example, as they’re capable of mimicking video and audio with uncanny precision while posing significant threats to user trust and information integrity. So, while AI offers tremendous benefits when powered by accurate, real-time data, it also opens the door to new forms of abuse. As we celebrate this potential, we must remain vigilant and develop safeguards to ensure the responsible use of AI. Ultimately, AI is a powerful force that can do great good, but only if it’s used responsibly.”

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Vijay Pullur, CEO of WaveMaker

“AI is a game-changer for application development teams battling with the twin challenges of increasing velocity to the business while striving to deliver a user experience that is pixel-to-pixel matched with designs. However, professional developers building serious enterprise apps need predictability and work with security and other compliance guardrails. Injecting AI into the design-to-code-to-deploy process without oversight or curation may not work for them.

“Instead, a product-led operating model can get AI out of the lab into mainstream business of building end-to-end enterprise software: design, development, and lifecycle management. A fully configurable AI-powered developer platform that acts as a foundation to launch cross-platform, enterprise-grade apps with unmatched efficiency and scalability is the key.

“Also, modernization projects take up a significant share of the enterprise budget. Greenfield app development is very promising with AI-led approaches, but when it comes to brownfield application modernization or feature enhancements, any AI needs to learn the context – components, architecture, best practices, etc. – before it starts generating solid, reliable, and maintainable code. Enterprise applications and solutions are complex and need a lot more enablement on top of existing AI orchestration to get it right.

“On Day 1 of AI-powered software development, beyond efficiency and velocity, an AI coding platform catalyzes new business thinking, holds your customer’s attention, and wins mindshare. That’s the single most enduring factor that will drive enterprise AI adoption and eventually power Day 2 (intent-based, on-demand software experiences).”

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Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail

“AI isn’t coming. It’s already here, and while most of us see the good, scammers see the opportunity. We’re now dealing with voice cloning that sounds uncannily real, phishing emails and texts tailored using live data, and chatbots that patiently extract personal info as if they were customer support.

“What makes this wave different is how personal and convincing it has become. We’ve moved from broad robocalls and generic spam to hyper-targeted fraud that sounds like your boss, your bank, or even your closest friend. AI is turning what used to be clumsy scams into believable, highly customized attacks that can catch anyone off guard.

“AI Appreciation Day is a good reminder that the same technology driving business transformation is also transforming fraud. It’s no longer enough to block obvious spam. Protecting consumers now means anticipating how these tools will be misused next and building defenses that adapt just as fast. At YouMail, we see this every day, and it’s why we’re focused on staying one step ahead in a world where even the scams sound real.”

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Shanthi Rajan, CEO of Linarc

AI Is No Longer a Luxury in Construction; It’s the New Backbone

“In recognition of AI Appreciation Day, it is important to highlight how artificial intelligence drives meaningful progress across industries, including construction. The industry is entering its cognitive era, and AI is at the center of this transformation. As digitization accelerates, AI is doing far more than automating tasks; it addresses systemic challenges like schedule volatility, resource misallocation, fragmented data, siloed communication, and slow decision-making.

“AI should not be seen as a disruptor but as a catalyst. It does not replace construction professionals; it empowers them. When integrated into familiar workflows, AI enhances clarity, reduces friction, and accelerates progress. It eases the mental load on project managers and field teams, enabling sharper decisions and stronger collaboration, ultimately driving productivity.

“The industry does not need more dashboards. It needs insight. What is required is contextual awareness, real-time alignment, and systems that support the field rather than simply report on it. AI delivers on that promise. It brings cohesion to complexity, accountability to action, and team momentum. AI is making construction smarter, safer, and more human-centered. It empowers people to build better, together.”

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Sunitha Rao, the SVP/GM of Hybrid Cloud & Software Defined Storage at Hitachi Vantara

“AI is redefining modern infrastructure by driving real-time observability, autonomous operations, and intelligent orchestration across hybrid and multi-cloud ecosystems. This evolution is fueled by advances in computing capacity, high-speed data processing, and scalable storage, which enable AI to analyze large volumes of data quickly and accurately. When integrated into observability platforms, AI utilizes machine learning and anomaly detection to identify performance issues, conduct root cause analysis, and trigger automated remediation functions that previously relied on manual oversight.

“In parallel, AI is enabling a shift toward agent-based architectures, where autonomous agents manage and coordinate infrastructure components via APIs and messaging protocols. This model helps eliminate operational silos, enhances security, enforces compliance at scale, and supports predictive analytics and proactive incident response. The path forward lies in architecting AI-ready infrastructure that is scalable, secure, and interoperable, empowering teams to move from reactive management to proactive, insight-driven innovation.”

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Ojas Rege, SVP & GM of Privacy and Data Governance at OneTrust

“This AI Appreciation Day, I’m thinking about what it means to future-proof AI from an enterprise perspective to ensure that you don’t make mistakes in developing and deploying AI systems that come back to haunt you later. But how do you future-proof a technology that is evolving at such an incredible pace? It is a big question, so let’s focus on the data layer and how you can design for long-term value from the start.

Here are three tips for future-proofing your AI-ready data strategy:

1. First-party data

“Garbage in, garbage out. So, of course, data quality is central to AI-driven outcomes. In addition, differentiated data will lead to differentiated outcomes. For AI systems focused on customer-facing experiences like personalization, audience creation, and loyalty, companies with compelling first-party data collected directly from their customers and prospects will have a competitive advantage over those that rely only on third-party data. First-party consented data is a powerful asset, and those who start building their data sets early will make a long-term advantage in their go-to-market business processes.”

2. Privacy by design

“All development organizations know that the earlier you find a software bug, the less expensive it is to fix and the less negative customer impact it has. Pain increases exponentially the longer you wait. Data privacy must be built into data architectures from the beginning because if, for example, you use personal information to train models and realize later that you shouldn’t have, the only solution is to roll back the model, which creates tremendous pain for the business.”

3. Big rocks

“Every line of code, every data set, and every business process will be touched by AI. The ubiquity of AI and the pace of its evolution make it difficult to have a comprehensive governance approach. The practical starting point is to look at the core business model of your company and identify the three data initiatives most critical to that business model. Those are the ‘big rocks’ on which to focus your governance and AI-ready data strategy. Future-proofing as best you can for those will protect the business. You will design a governance gradient by going deep where value and risk are high and moving quickly where they are low.

“Finally, don’t build your program around specific laws, especially with so much regulatory ambiguity. Instead, anchor governance to the pillars of your business model so you can move forward with C-level commitment. On AI Appreciation Day, we must think of the long term. We must govern well AND move fast. Doing just one or the other is not a viable option for creating long-term value for your business.”

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Robin Roberson, President and Co-Founder at Agentech

“In honor of AI Appreciation Day, I’m reflecting on the incredible impact artificial intelligence has made in the insurance industry, especially in transforming the claims process.

“At Agentech, we’ve seen firsthand how agentic AI, through specialized digital coworkers, can significantly elevate the role of desk adjusters. By automating manual and repetitive tasks, AI enables adjusters to direct their expertise toward more complex decisions, enhance policyholder interactions, and deliver superior outcomes.

“The practical benefits of agentic AI are clear: fewer errors, higher compliance, increased efficiency, and, importantly, improved quality of life for claims professionals. AI does not replace human judgment; it amplifies it.

“On AI Appreciation Day, let us recognize and embrace how thoughtfully designed digital coworkers are reshaping our industry, empowering insurance professionals, and enabling a more human-centric approach to claims handling.”

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Josh Rogers, CEO of Precisely

“Amid concerns that AI is taking away jobs, many are losing sight of its true value: AI is evolving the way we work, streamlining operations, accelerating insights, and creating space for deeper, more strategic thinking. We need to stop viewing AI as a competitor and start embracing it as a powerful collaborator that enhances human potential.

“The AI transformation is not about replacing people; it’s about unlocking new possibilities. By automating repetitive processes and expediting research, AI allows us to focus on strategic innovation and problem-solving. However, to harness the full potential of AI, we must approach it with trust, value, and control at the center. That’s how we ensure technology remains a force for good that empowers, rather than overshadows, human talent. In fact, for the next generation of professionals, AI proficiency will not just be helpful, but essential to amplifying their decision-making, creativity, and high-value impact. When approached responsibly, intelligent technology can expedite operational efficiencies, without compromising the human expertise at the heart of organizations’ success.”

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Sam Schifman, Innovation Architect for Healthcare at VANTIQ

“AI is opening the door for Adaptive Automation, enabling computers to solve the intractable problems we desperately need them to. In an ever more complex world, we need systems that don’t just do what we have thought of, but which wrangle the massive amount of data available to provide insight, suggest next-best actions, and learn to improve over time. Humans must remain in the driver’s seat, but we want computers to work with us in solving problems and, for the first time in history, this is a real possibility.

“Of course, this new Adaptive Automation requires the right platform. It will need robust and resilient communication, effective context tracking, efficient memory to learn from, and hardened guardrails to ensure proper behavior. It is great to see the AI community starting to address these needs, with open protocols like A2A and MCP. There are a number of hurdles still ahead of us, but AI is going to fundamentally change how we approach automation and empower us to address the real needs we have today.”

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Sid Sheth, Co-Founder and CEO at d-Matrix

“This AI Appreciation Day is the perfect time to acknowledge that with the demand of today’s AI compute load, we are firmly in the era of inference, where the focus on facilitating dynamic, interactive, and instant AI interactions takes center stage. The increasing adoption of inference in consumer and business domains fuels a notable surge in supporting reasoning and real-time computation. To lead in this changing environment, it is crucial to drive innovation in data center infrastructure, emphasizing efficiency, scalability, and sustainability at every stage.”

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Chris Simental, Co-founder and Technology Strategist at Ripe Media

“AI isn’t replacing creativity. It’s reshaping what we spend our creative energy on. The real value isn’t in cranking out content faster. It’s in reclaiming time to think more clearly, write more intentionally, and connect more meaningfully. AI is just a tool. The art is still ours.”

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Ofer Smadari, Co-Founder & CEO at Torq

“Agentic AI isn’t the future of cybersecurity—it’s the present. The threat landscape is evolving faster than humans can keep up. Today’s adversaries are leveraging automation and AI to launch attacks at unprecedented scale and speed. Meanwhile, the cybersecurity workforce is stretched thin: we need 65% more talent globally to meet demand, and U.S. organizations are already operating with a 17% staffing gap. There’s no way to close that gap with people alone. Businesses need tools that don’t just assist—they act, and reduce the time being spent on security investigations. This isn’t optional anymore. Organizations that fail to embrace agentic AI will fall behind faster than they think. The only way to defend against machine-speed attacks is with machine-speed defense.”

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Brian Stafford, President and CEO at Diligent

“The proliferation of agentic AI systems has led to a wide-scale race to deploy and govern AI. With a record number of Americans nearing retirement age, many organizations are looking to AI to fill the looming talent gap. Despite the growing reliance on AI, human workers remain essential to the AI development cycle; however, they need to be properly trained in order to fully reap its benefits.

“As organizations seek to harness the potential of AI, upskilling and reskilling employees have become crucial for success. Rather than replacing jobs, AI will build on the skills of those who master its use. To remain competitive, employees across all levels of an organization—from C-Suite executives to interns—must be trained to effectively use AI systems. By developing AI fluency, humans will remain integral to workflows and empower them to adapt quickly, collaborate effectively, and stay aligned with strategic business goals and key industry trends, ultimately thriving in a hybrid workforce environment.”

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Reece Stojanovic, Senior Vice President of Chirp

“What I love about AI isn’t just the productivity gains it has provided; it’s the shift in thinking that it has created. It’s opened up a world where possibilities feel endless. Things that seemed impossible just a few years ago are now doable. It has fueled creativity and removed limitations.”

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Will Strohl, CEO at Upendo Ventures

“AI is literally helping to save my business. It’s given us the ability to scale enterprise-quality services down to small businesses—something that wasn’t financially sustainable before. We’ve also launched a full marketing campaign using AI-assisted workflows that let us stay consistent, strategic, and authentic without burning out. I appreciate AI not because it replaces people, but because it gives small teams like mine a fighting chance.”

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Satish Swargam, Principal Security Consultant at Black Duck

“As organizations embrace AI in enhancing their products and services, AI governance is taking shape and evolving into a practice that will be woven into the secure software development lifecycle. There is a greater and unforeseen impact on human life as AI is widely adopted. AI is a double-edged sword and will impact our day-to-day activities both positively and negatively. As AI is leveraged in making decisions, whether it is simple like where to shop or critical like clinical decisions that impacts patient safety, it is important to ensure that AI is used ethically, and that it is fair, transparent, accountable, protects privacy, and is secure, safe, and reliable.”

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Sesh Tirumala, CIO at Western Digital

“AI’s success hinges not just on data and technology, but on how well it enhances human work. CIOs must drive strategies with strong governance, seamless integration, and a focus on empowering—not replacing—employees. We need to move employees to higher value work and remove toil. That’s how we maximize AI’s value and build a future-ready business.”

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Cat Valverde, Founder of Enterprise AI Solutions

“As AI becomes the great democratizer of content creation, we’re witnessing a fascinating paradox: the same technology that can scale creativity to unprecedented levels also risks creating a world where everything sounds, feels, and looks the same. AI can accelerate production, but it can’t manufacture authenticity.

“The brands that will thrive in this new landscape are those that use AI not just to create faster, but to communicate their values more clearly and consistently. When 79% of consumers still prioritize sustainability and authenticity, the competitive advantage goes to leaders who leverage AI to amplify their genuine voice, not to mimic everyone else’s. The future belongs to organizations that recognize AI as a tool for expressing their distinctiveness, not erasing it.”

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Manasi Vartak, Chief AI Architect at Cloudera

“AI Appreciation Day is a chance for us to reflect on how far AI has come, and more importantly, how thoughtfully we need to use it moving forward. With AI adoption surging towards 378 million users this year, we’re reminded of just how many people in various industries are using AI to grow their businesses, make informed decisions, and deliver better customer experiences.

“Whatever the task may be, the most effective models need to be trained using trusted data. The option to use a private AI model is becoming one of the most secure ways to ensure accurate models. Since they’re used strictly within an organization, the models can provide real-time insights without compromising data privacy or compliance.

“With AI continuously evolving, the difference between good and great results will come down to the responsibility of the companies handling their data. The most valuable insights come from sensitive data, which must be protected. That’s why it’s important for AI security to be a top priority. With the spirit of AI Appreciation Day, it’s obvious that the future of responsible AI lies in the hands of innovators.”

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Mark Wojtasiak, Vice President of Research and Strategy at Vectra AI

“AI is completely changing the game in cybersecurity—and not a moment too soon. The threat landscape has shifted from isolated incidents to modern, persistent, fast-moving hybrid attacks that move across data centers, identities, clouds, and applications. The old ‘perimeter’ defense mindset doesn’t cut it anymore–without AI, it’s impossible to keep pace. Only AI connects the dots across these domains in real-time to surface real attack signals and drive faster, smarter responses.

“That said, AI adds fuel to both sides of the fire. Attackers are already using it to gain a competitive advantage, scaling social engineering and automating full-scale campaigns. But we see huge upside for SOC defenders to turn the tables, harnessing AI across their workflow to accelerate threat detection, triage, correlation, prioritization, investigation, response, and reporting. From natural language interfaces and SOC copilots to autonomous AI Agents, we see AI and human intelligence working in concert. The future of cybersecurity is intelligent collaboration between humans and machines.”

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Tendü Yogurtçu, CTO at Precisely

“As scrutiny grows around agentic AI washing, clarity and integrity are more important than ever. At Precisely, we focus on delivering AI that is trustworthy, valuable, and fully in the customer’s control. That’s why our approach to AI is grounded in three guiding principles: Trust. Value. Control.

“Trust means customers understand how AI outputs are generated, with full transparency, explainability, and strong privacy safeguards. Value means AI delivers measurable outcomes by saving time, uncovering insights, and improving decision-making.

“Control means customers choose the models, configure the workflows, and bring their own credentials. They control how and where AI runs, fully aligned with their governance, security, and privacy standards. These principles are core to how we help customers adopt AI with confidence in a way that is responsible, practical, and outcome-focused.”

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Jerry Yurchisin, Senior Data Science Strategist at Gurobi Optimization

“AI Appreciation Day is the perfect time to recognize not only the power of artificial intelligence, but also the full spectrum of data science tools and capabilities that help transform insight into impact. While AI and machine learning (ML) often steal the spotlight for their predictive capabilities, they’re just one part of the decision-making equation.

“Most data scientists rely on AI and ML to quickly analyze vast amounts of data and generate actionable predictions. However, stopping at analysis may mean missing the next critical step: prescription. AI and ML excel at forecasting trends and identifying patterns, but they don’t consider all possible actions to determine the best one—that’s where mathematical optimization comes in.

“Mathematical optimization uses specialized algorithms to model complex decisions, incorporating predictive insights and real-world constraints to prescribe the most effective course of action. It goes beyond insight to deliver optimal solutions, eliminating guesswork and helping decision-makers navigate today’s most intricate challenges with confidence.”

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Mike Zabel, Product Manager at S-Docs

“When I think about AI Appreciation Day, I think ‘appreciation’ is the right word. But maybe with an asterisk. AI is already changing how people approach document automation, for example, making huge parts of work simpler and more accessible. Tasks that used to require technical know-how—think of things like building templates, managing approvals, and generating complex documents—are becoming more intuitive and accessible. It’s opening the door for people who never saw themselves as ‘technical’ to take ownership of these processes.

“But at the same time, I think we’re still in the early days. A lot of teams, especially in industries with heavy compliance requirements, are still figuring out where AI actually makes sense versus where human oversight is non-negotiable. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, but when it comes to something as critical as documents like contracts, agreements, or anything tied to revenue or regulation, trust and quality must come first.

“So yes, there’s a lot to be excited about, especially when it comes to the potential that AI is unlocking. But it’s just as important to stay grounded and take a thoughtful, measured approach to getting it right.”

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Justin Zacks, Vice President of Strategy at Moomoo Technologies

“Artificial intelligence (AI) has benefited Moomoo by aiding us in helping our customers make the best investment decisions possible. Moomoo does not offer investment advice but rather is working hard to enhance investors’ overall trading experience using AI. Retail investors now have access to trading tools and features that even professionals didn’t have 10 years ago.

“In an investing world where every second counts, we are developing AI tools that speed and strengthen decision-making. One-page AI summaries of the day’s most important news and trends help investors filter out much of the headline noise. Our AI-powered pattern finder and trend projection tools help investors identify key trends that can be used to generate trading ideas. Moomoo’s ‘intelligent chatbot’ works as our investors’ exclusive executive assistant, helping them quickly and efficiently find answers to all their investing-related questions.”

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Syed Zaeem Hosain, Founder and Chief Evangelist at Aeris

“Agentic automation, where AI systems can act independently to make decisions, is becoming essential for managing the scale and complexity of IoT environments. These systems can detect anomalies, trace attack paths, and take rapid action, often faster than any human team could respond. But with this capability comes responsibility. In high-stakes environments, such as healthcare or critical infrastructure, there must be thoughtful guardrails. Not every decision should be left to automation. Human oversight remains vital where safety is on the line.”

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Elia Zaitsev, the CTO at CrowdStrike

“This year, the most important evolution in AI came from prioritizing data quality over quantity. Traditional machine learning relied on massive data volume to make predictions, but agentic AI changes that equation. By learning from real human decisions, not just raw events, these systems are trained to think the way expert analysts do: triaging, prioritizing, and taking action based on context and experience. That’s what enables AI to move beyond analysis and toward autonomy.

“That shift is already delivering real results. Organizations using Charlotte AI’s Agentic Detection Triage are reclaiming over 40 hours per week for their analysts, autonomously triaging detections with over 98% accuracy. This dramatically reduces false positives, speeds investigations, and frees up teams to focus on real threats.”

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Dmitry Zakharchenko, Chief Software Officer at Blaize