The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence
A curated Kiwi edition of IndustrialDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Artificial Intelligence (AI).
What to know about Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries, reshaping business operations, enhancing customer experiences, and driving innovation across sectors globally and in Australasia. From the surge in AI-driven cybersecurity threats and the adoption of AI in cloud infrastructure to the integration of generative AI in customer service, marketing, and financial sectors, this dynamic field demands close attention.
Experts emphasise the critical role of robust data management and infrastructure in successfully leveraging AI technologies, while organisations face challenges including skill gaps, ethical considerations, and regulatory developments. As AI adoption accelerates, businesses must balance innovation with security, sustainability, and human-centric strategies to thrive in this evolving landscape.
Readers exploring this tag will gain insights into the latest AI trends, practical applications, organisational strategies, technological advancements, and the collaborative efforts shaping the future of AI. Understanding these developments is essential for anyone interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on business, technology, and society.
Kiwi Artificial Intelligence News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
The C-Suite Playbook: 11 Lessons for emerging tech leaders
Emerging tech leaders were urged to focus on storytelling, risk and resilience as four C-suite mentors shared practical career advice in Auckland.
Schneider Electric to host Auckland innovation day
Businesses will hear practical guidance on tackling rising power demand, AI-driven electricity use and emissions pressure at the 2026 Auckland event.
Ingram Micro names Becs Paterson to New Zealand role
Her outside-industry experience is expected to help Ingram Micro sharpen partner sales and growth as New Zealand resellers face shifting demand.
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The technology's next test is whether it can cut energy use and waste as firms face growing pressure to deploy AI more responsibly.
Halter's Clank AI cuts engineering time in farm tech
Farming customers could see faster fixes as the system now handles alert triage and code changes, saving more than 215 engineering hours.
New Zealand firms split on AI as strategy gap widens
Only 15% of New Zealand businesses have an AI strategy, leaving most unable to measure returns or prepare for the next wave of tools.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Artificial Intelligence
Certinia expands Veda AI for professional services
Netskope launches control to block risky AI agent actions
Cloudera named leader in Asia Pacific sovereign AI
ABBYY launches FineParser for enterprise AI document parsing
F5 named Market Shaper in Gartner AI security quadrant
Featured News
AI demands network agility and better operational governance
Governance gaps are leaving most organisations exposed as AI traffic surges and networks struggle to keep pace with machine-speed demands.
Interview: Cloudera says open-ended AI spending is over
Enterprises are now demanding proof of value and tighter controls as AI budgets face scrutiny over compute costs and deployment choices.
Zscaler takes zero trust beyond the corporate network
Critical infrastructure operators are using cellular links to secure distributed assets as outages and spoofing raise the stakes for resilience.
Workiva: The secret compliance and reporting arms race
Driven by improved tooling, finance teams are meeting higher standards as regulators and analysts scrutinise disclosures faster.
Exclusive: ABBYY says AI build costs will drive buying
Enterprises could cut AI spend by up to 80% by shifting document workflows away from custom builds and into standard platforms.
Exclusive: ABBYY brings zero-shot document AI to Vantage
Enterprises can now extract data from unseen document types without templates, as ABBYY rolls out zero-shot capabilities in Vantage.
ABB: Renewables usage puts NZ in data centre sweet spot
Renewables are leaving New Zealand well placed for data centres, but ABB says grid upgrades and smarter use of existing assets are needed.
Why businesses need more than technology to scale AI
Only 19 per cent of enterprise AI use cases hit most or all goals, as Infosys urges firms to pair technology with data, training and governance.
Interview: Cloudera bets on hybrid AI growth in JAPAC
Banks and large enterprises in Asia-Pacific are rethinking cloud-first AI plans as costs, sovereignty and regulation favour hybrid deployments.
Genetec: Open platforms key as physical security evolves
Businesses are prioritising hybrid, open security systems to protect existing hardware investments while adopting cloud and AI tools more gradually.
Docusign's next move: Own the contract, not just the signature
Rapid adoption as Docusign's IAM platform cuts contract delays and turns signed agreements into AI-driven workflows.
AI transforming physical security into enterprise data solution
AI and cloud tools are turning cameras into live operational data sources, helping firms cut costs, spot errors and manage fleets centrally.
Future of AI is distributed infrastructure built on open source
Rising AI demand is exposing cloud bottlenecks, as firms eye in-house open source systems to cut costs and limit vendor lock-in.
AI transforms CX to go beyond the chatbot
Consumers now expect faster, more automated support as AI agents handle complex customer journeys, though many firms still struggle to prove ROI.
Open source is powering the next generation of frontier AI
Rising inference demand and custom hardware needs are pushing AI infrastructure beyond standard cloud setups, boosting open source tools.
Governance controls are crucial for AI adoption and modernisation
Trusted partners and tighter guardrails are becoming essential as AI agents expand the attack surface and put data sovereignty on the line.
Datadog targets enterprise risk with AI and automation
Australian enterprises are under pressure to tame AI-driven complexity, compliance risk and rising technology costs as Datadog broadens its platform.
The internet times are a'changing Fastly
Bot traffic is forcing Fastly to adapt its edge cloud tools as publishers and AI firms battle over caching, access and data protection.
Rimini Street offers AI magic without the forced ERP migration
CIOs can keep existing ERP systems and still adopt agentic AI, as Rimini Street pitches a cheaper path away from vendor-led migrations.
Customers at the centre of Adobe's new AI evangelist role
Adobe is using the post to help customers navigate AI adoption while feeding regional priorities back into its global product strategy.
Jamf launches AI Governance to enhance visibility, security
IT teams can now track AI models on Apple fleets to curb data leaks and token spend as businesses wrestle with shadow AI.
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AI models expose new attack surfaces through misconfiguration
Misconfigured models are giving attackers a fresh route into cloud systems, raising the risk of data theft and service compromise.
Zendesk's outcome-based pricing balances AI with human touch
Businesses will pay only for closed support cases under Zendesk's new model, as the software group ties AI automation to human fallback.
Cvent says event success lies in genuine human interaction
Hybrid formats are helping organisers broaden reach without losing the in-room relationships that still drive trust, leads and donations.
Thermomix moves HQ to Melbourne to capture Aussie kitchens
The shift will bring the appliance maker closer to eastern customers, as Australia and New Zealand now account for most of its sales.
AI will fade, says Dell Technologies' ephemeral Chief AI Officer
Dell says agentic AI should shift routine tasks below the machine line, freeing staff for expert work while making the role temporary.
Schrodinger's ERP both dead and alive, says Rimini Street
Businesses can avoid costly ERP rip-and-replace projects by layering AI and automation onto existing systems, Rimini Street says.
AI adoption races ahead of governance in businesses
Only one in six staff are getting enough AI training, leaving firms exposed to poor decisions, shadow tools and weak returns.
Network segmentation - you can't attack what you can't see
Fast-moving exploits are shrinking patch windows to hours, making network segmentation vital for protecting cameras, medical devices and other connected assets.
ClickHouse customer base soars on back of AI demand
AI agents are driving a sharp rise in demand for the real-time data platform, which added 1000 customers early in 2026 to top 4000.
Smart stuff in Dell's simplified approach to the venerable PC
Businesses need not necessarily rush to replace working PCs for AI, as Dell says those with accelerators can still handle workloads.
SUSE targets Australia's industrial edge to drive growth
Australian miners, shippers and utilities could be next to benefit as SUSE pushes edge computing and AI inference beyond data centres.
Pead: AI search transition reshaping corporate reputation
AI-generated answers are already shaping public perceptions, forcing firms to manage reputation across trusted third-party sources instead of search rankings.
SAS Innovate: New era of scams requires novel solutions
Australians are losing billions as AI-driven fraud pushes banks, telcos and platforms to share scam data faster and stop payments earlier.
Fresh perspective: New Gentrack CTO on AI-driven utility future
AI tools could cut utility costs and reduce customer friction as Gentrack's new Chief Technology Officer pushes a more proactive service model.
Check Point CTO on AI's double-edged sword
AI is shrinking the gap between vulnerability disclosure and real-world exploitation to hours, forcing security teams to adapt fast.
Meet the man behind the Saas-Pocalypse: Emergent's Mukund Jha
The new cash will help Emergent broaden from coding tools into an operating system for small and medium businesses as demand surges.
SonicWall boosts endpoint security for SMBs and mid-market
SMBs and mid-market firms facing AI-driven attacks are set for tighter device controls as SonicWall prepares a new endpoint security product.
Resilience over prevention as AI reshapes security landscape
Rising ransomware speed is pushing ANZ firms to increase spending on recovery strategies as AI gives attackers new ways in.
Check Point: Be the best, or get out the way
Rising AI-driven attacks are compel security buyers to cut vendor sprawl, though Check Point warns over-consolidation can still raise risk.
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Check Point: Hackers are already in. Act accordingly
Hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in hours or minutes, leaving many organisations compromised before defenders spot the breach.
Future of enterprise software is agentic apps, says Oracle
Oracle is targeting a common blocker to AI adoption by adding governance, human checks and audit trails to its agentic app builder.
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OnBoard says board AI policy key, but lags behind in adoption
Most boards are using AI, but formal guidelines are still missing as adoption races ahead of governance, OnBoard's survey found.
John Margerison on the new class of employee: AI managers
Businesses should treat AI like a new hire, as weak oversight could expose sensitive data and leave staff needing fresh skills to stay relevant.
Archaic payment processes costing SMEs time and money
Australian SMEs are missing working capital gains as manual invoicing and EFTs leave payments slower and less secure.
SiteHive gains traction with unblinking eyes on the job
Construction firms can now monitor dust, noise and weather remotely, helping avoid delays and environmental breaches across hundreds of sites.
Agentic AI creates enterprise challenge beyond LLM boom
Enterprises face rising costs and governance gaps as thousands of AI agents begin operating alongside staff across multiple systems.
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CorPlan launches CoreEPM: Rapid return AI-powered Business Intelligence
By replacing spreadsheets and manual finance work, the new platform aims to cut months-long implementation times and free staff for higher-value tasks.
AI reshaping cybersecurity - on defence and attack
Criminals are using AI to scale phishing and hunt flaws faster, forcing firms to harden defences as alert volumes and risks rise.
TCL pivots to premium TV offering with Bang & Olufsen collab
TCL's new range features brighter flagship TVs, with certified high-end sound and Gemini features, targeting Sony and Samsung's premium turf.
Reducing cyber risk is still hard: Why CTEM stalls at action
Security teams are still struggling to turn vulnerability alerts into fixes, leaving companies exposed for months when IT and operations must act separately.
Marketers turn to AI as personalisation revolution arrives
Australian marketers are turning to agentic AI to keep pace with fragmented customer journeys and rising demand for personalised content.
Quantum computers aren't here yet. But the data threat is
Hackers are already hoarding encrypted data, as businesses race to adopt quantum-safe protection before Q-Day arrives.
Don't lose the human connection in AI-supported recruitment
Human judgement is becoming more valuable as AI screens CVs, with candidates wary of being reduced to data points and overlooked for potential.
Reviews
Hands-on review: Samsung Z Fold8
Hands-on review: Google Fitbit Air
Hands-on review: Apple Creator Studio earns its keep
Game review: Pragmata (PC)
Hands-on review: Pocket AI Notetaker handy, not revolutionary
Hands-on review: Samsung Galaxy A57 5G smartphone
Hands-on review: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra refined flagship
Hands-on review: Avast Deepfake Guard and Scam Guardian
Game review: Taxi Chaos 2 (Xbox Series X)
Expert Columns
The C-Suite Playbook: 11 Lessons for emerging tech leaders
Cybersecurity finds problems. AI can accelerate remediation
How AI is changing business planning
AI's data centre overhaul forcing a network rethink
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
How multi-shopper AI is transforming retail store operations
Cybersecurity is operating on the wrong clock
AGI is coming. The future of work isn't ready
The data center math has changed
Are you still panning? There is a better way to extract mainframe gold
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Artificial Intelligence News
Databricks buys Row Zero to add live spreadsheets to Genie
The deal keeps finance and operations teams in governed data as Databricks adds a spreadsheet layer to reduce risky file exports.
Bybit launches global campaign to broaden financial platform
Users can now access stocks, gold and foreign exchange alongside crypto as the exchange pushes into payments, wealth and AI tools.
RDC.AI targets North America with banking software
Banks are broadening use of RDC.AI's software as the Australian-founded group reports more than 120 per cent growth in existing customers.
Citrix adds AI browser session insights for agents
Security teams can now trace risky browser activity by staff and AI agents, as Citrix adds visual session records and policy guidance.
Ropes & Gray teams with OpenAI on due diligence AI
Deal teams could get issue-level diligence reports in hours as the law firm builds an OpenAI-powered tool for review under tight deadlines.
Ropes & Gray develops OpenAI tool for deal diligence
Deal teams could get issue-level diligence reports in hours, as Ropes & Gray and OpenAI test AI that still requires lawyer oversight.
iPresence launches kubi 2.0 on Kickstarter globally
Crowdfunding will open access to a redesigned telepresence robot for schools, hospitals and offices, with donation-backed units for needy recipients.
Akamai signs USD $11.6 billion deal with Anthropic
Anthropic's seven-year commitment could lift Akamai's cloud revenue to USD $20 billion, underscoring surging demand for AI infrastructure.
Avalara launches AI tool for enterprise system links
Integration projects could be completed in days rather than weeks as specialised AI agents automate connector build and testing for Avalara customers.
Wipro launches CISO Command Centre with CrowdStrike
Enterprises facing faster AI-driven attacks could get a single view of cyber risk as Wipro and CrowdStrike tie security operations to board priorities.
Maxio launches Wallets for prepaid credit tracking
As software vendors shift to usage-based billing, Maxio's new tool aims to cut spreadsheet tracking and help finance teams manage prepaid balances.
BlackBerry raises outlook as QNX revenue hits record
Strong demand for QNX helped lift BlackBerry's second-quarter profit and cash flow, prompting the company to increase full-year guidance.
Procurement leaders face rising demands amid data gaps
Rising savings demands are colliding with staffing shortages and poor data, leaving procurement teams struggling to keep pace.
HeadFirst rebrands as Vertage in staffing shake-up
Customers will keep existing contracts and delivery teams as the staffing group folds 11 brands into Vertage on a single platform.
Percona & Coroot expand observability to databases
Customers will get a broader view of outages as the tie-up links database support with tracing across applications, networks and infrastructure.
HR leaders grapple with AI ethics & performance reviews
Rising executive pressure is pushing HR teams to use AI, even as most leaders still worry about ethics, governance and failed software buys.
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Bookkeepers offer unpaid advice as tax demands grow
More than one million extra sole traders and landlords will be pulled into Making Tax Digital from next April, boosting demand for bookkeepers' guidance.
US data centre boom lifts North American equipment sales
AI-fuelled building work is offsetting weakness in housing and other projects, keeping North American equipment revenues rising despite softer demand.
Keepit tops USD $100 million ARR on AI Truth Cloud
The Danish cloud data protection group's nine-figure run underscores demand for independent backup as firms link AI adoption to data trust.
Velric launches AI hiring platform with candidate scores
Employers can now verify applicants' ability through monitored work simulations, as AI-generated tasks aim to curb résumé inflation and hiring fraud.
Job Moves
Ingram Micro names Becs Paterson to New Zealand role
Equinox IT appoints Victoria MacLennan as director
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
Microsoft appoints Nick Walton as NZ Managing Director
One New Zealand names CFO, CTO in executive succession
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Tax Traders appoints Chloe Kyrke-Smith as Head of Product
Dentsu Aotearoa launches technology practice with Knox
HP New Zealand appoints Daniel Roberts as Head of Enterprise
Spectrum Consulting names Darryl van Rensburg for AI drive
