Adapting at the speed of change: Winning with AI in an era of opportunity and risk

By The Coffee Shops. 

Harnessing AI is crucial as the technology reshapes industries and redefines how businesses sell, operate and protect themselves. 

Editor’s note: This article was written by ChatGPT based on Karol Weymans’ notes from summit presentations. 

Cory Gundberg, chief technology officer at SRS, framed his keynote around a critical question: Are we at an inflection point? He emphasized that artificial intelligence is reshaping industries at unprecedented speed, noting that those who learn to use AI effectively will not be replaced, but rather empowered. The challenge ahead is how to take this path forward. 

The AI acceleration 

Cory highlighted the rapid adoption of generative AI, pointing out that ChatGPT reached 100 million users in just two months compared to Instagram’s two years and TikTok’s nine months. This rapid shift underscores the urgency of personal adaptation. As Cory put it, “Those that effectively use AI win.” 

Empowering sales and operations 

He shared that sales representatives spend roughly 40% of their time on administrative tasks, which significantly reduces selling time. By automating these tasks with AI, SRS has the potential to give reps back 20% of their week, essentially one full day freeing them to focus on revenue-driving activities. 

Examples from across industries reinforced the impact: 

• Heritage Pool uses a virtual assistant to put tools directly at employees’ fingertips. 
• PartsTown leverages an AI chatbot to source parts faster, driving a 900% increase in conversions and a 20% increase in average order value. 

Enterprise AI investment 

Major corporations such as Amazon, PepsiCo, Google, The Home Depot and Walmart are already investing tens of millions into AI. With 35% of associates feeling overwhelmed by digitization, AI offers a path to streamline operations. By standardizing and tracking core processes, organizations enable machine learning to improve productivity, increase first-call resolution, reduce call handling time and even determine product availability automatically. 

Looking ahead to 2025 

Cory emphasized that 2025 will also be defined by cybersecurity challenges. With over 80% of phishing attacks now AI-driven — up from 67% in 2024 — bad actors are using advanced tools like deepfakes to exploit businesses, including one $25 million scam that replicated a lifelike persona. To stay protected, companies must implement the right technologies to detect and stop these threats in real time. 

Path forward 

The future, Cory explained, is about moving from “insight to action, and now to execution.” AI agents will increasingly take actions on behalf of users such as generating a contractor’s quote directly from Home Depot data and enabling it to be shared seamlessly with homeowners. Beyond that, AI-generated code and marketing collateral are already becoming standard tools. 

Key takeaways 

• Those who effectively use AI will win. 
• In the next 30 days, AI should be seen as a superpower where change management and mindset are critical. 
• Test and learn is the path forward: invest as little as possible to learn as much as possible. 
• 2025 marks a true inflection point in AI adoption and impact.