The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Intelligence
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay 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
Businesses turn to AI to query live operational data
Businesses are increasingly using AI assistants to pull live answers from sales, stock and staffing systems, reducing reliance on static reports.
New Zealand workers lag global average on work health
A survey found most desk-based New Zealand staff feel under strain, with just 24% reporting a healthy relationship with work versus 29% globally.
Is AI influencing how we vote?
Three quarters of New Zealanders now use AI, raising concerns that election information is being filtered before voters reach the ballot box.
Trade Me dominates NZ cyber awards with triple win
Trade Me's security work has been recognised for helping keep its platform safer, as judges honoured its team, leader and AI project.
New Zealand shoppers lose most to holiday scams, Norton says
New Zealand victims of holiday shopping scams lost an average of NZ$1,997, the highest among surveyed markets, Norton's research found.
The overlooked remedy for uncertainty? Go back to learning, says education pioneer academyEX
As AI and economic insecurity reshape work, academyEX says adult education can boost confidence, resilience and adaptability at every age.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Artificial Intelligence
TD SYNNEX expands Destination AI for SMBs globally
Zendesk launches outcome AI platform with new pricing
Annexa: NetSuite Next is a flick of a switch. Rewiring the CFO takes longer
Four Steps CISOs Can Take To Secure AI-driven Software Development
Fortinet lifts full-year outlook after strong third quarter
Featured News
Adobe plans MCP access for AI agents to desktop apps
Creative Cloud users may soon let outside AI agents drive Adobe apps for tasks such as rotoscoping and image hole filling, starting on desktop.
Cisco bets on unified security to counter AI-led threats
Businesses face faster AI-driven attacks as the networking giant folds security, observability and management into one platform.
Inside Adobe's fast-moving AI partnerships team
Adobe is accelerating AI dealmaking as it pushes its models into rival platforms and brings outside systems into its own apps.
Zendesk moves beyond ticket closures with outcome-based AI
The new platform charges only when AI resolves an issue, pushing support teams to measure success by customer outcomes rather than ticket counts.
Exclusive: Adobe pushes for global AI creator protections
Creators could gain new protections from commercial AI style copying as Adobe lobbies regulators in several countries for clearer licensing rules.
Smartsheet tackles execution drift in the age of AI agents
As AI agents speed up operations, firms are struggling to spot when day-to-day work drifts away from strategy and targets.
AI success takes more than a promising pilot project
Without stronger governance and clear accountability, most AI pilots will struggle to reach production or deliver real business value.
Palo Alto Networks: AI hunting vulnerability in legacy systems
Critical infrastructure operators are being urged to merge IT and OT security as AI speeds up attacks on ageing industrial systems.
Sectigo targets ANZ growth as certificate lifespans shrink
Shorter certificate lifespans are pushing Australian and New Zealand firms to automate renewals, or face higher security and outage risks.
CU Medicine's Philip Chiu: Surgery goes digital, but the surgeon stays
CU Medicine Dean Philip Chiu says AI and robotics will take surgery from analogue to digital, with embodied AI assisting the surgeon.
Transform your business with Telstra Adaptive Networks
Businesses facing outages and surging demand can now reroute traffic, scale bandwidth and cut IT admin as Telstra's network adapts in real time.
Float: Exposing the hidden costs of insurance premiums
Policyholders could save thousands as Float says hidden commissions of 15% to 25% and admin-heavy renewals are inflating premiums.
Scaling AI means reinventing how work gets done
The shift could reshape hiring, audits and pay as firms move from AI pilots to automated workflows that rely on new guardrails.
Workday is a Fortune 500 startup reborn for the AI era
Its AI-first overhaul has cut layers, sped product cycles and left the company betting that startup-style speed can still serve Fortune 500 customers.
GitHub: Developers aren't disappearing. They're leveling up
AI is pushing software teams into higher-value roles, with GitHub saying developers are moving from coding to orchestration and business alignment.
The future of successful HR will use AI with human oversight
AI could free HR teams from routine admin, but Workday says sensitive hiring decisions need deterministic guardrails and explicit human oversight.
AI attacks demand operational change in the post Mythos era
Only 5% of Australian companies are ready for AI-driven attacks, leaving most exposed as threat actors move at machine speed.
UST: Businesses must rethink how AI returns are measured
Australian firms risk spending increasing resources on AI pilots that ultimately fail to prove gains in revenue, efficiency or customer service.
Data sovereignty is a strategic imperative in the AI era
AI is pushing boards to weigh local control against cloud convenience, with 80% of respondents saying sovereignty matters more in vendor selection.
Logitech makes largest B2B move yet with Rally Bar 2
The Swiss group is betting on extra processing power and AI-ready features to keep enterprise meeting rooms usable for longer.
Organisations need a strategic approach to skills in the AI world
Companies are missing out on returns from AI and other new tools because staff training and change management are lagging behind.
AI workloads & modern facilities driving Honeywell growth
Data centre operators are under pressure to supply their own electricity, opening the door for Honeywell to add on-site power and utilities.
Logitech blends style, work practicality with Zone Vibe Pro
Hybrid workers will soon be able to effortlessly swap between calls and music without changing headsets, as Logitech's new model lands in October.
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.
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
AI Literacy And Governance: The Workforce Skills Enterprises Need For Responsible AI
Data quality and governance lead AI investment priorities in ANZ
How tax authorities use AI to audit transfer pricing, and why your paperwork is now the risk
Six questions to ask your MDR provider
Your next enterprise customer will ask an AI for a shortlist of IT partners. Here's what it reads
The AI Era Is Transforming Cyberattacks - Australian Businesses Need a New Defence
Enterprises Do Not Have a Problem with Access to Technology, but with Choice
We ran an all-employee AI Month and now everyone in our company is ready to build
Securing the AI Systems of Tomorrow
Data Governance in Banking: A Framework for Better Data Quality
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Artificial Intelligence News
Honeywell unveils AI tools to cut false fire alarms
The new system is designed to help building operators cut nuisance alarms and manage more complex sites with fewer skilled staff.
Google Cloud warns AI agents will reshape cyber defence
The shift to machine-speed attacks could leave weekly scans and month-long patching too slow, as autonomous systems take on more security work.
Australia cyber attacks rise 39% as ransomware grows
Ransomware claims hit a record 1,063 victims in October, even as Australian organisations still faced 2,117 cyber attacks a week, up 39% year on year.
Hitachi Vantara adds AI analytics tools to VSP One
Enterprises could cut AI data-handling overhead as the storage group adds native analytics, governed model access and faster object storage to VSP One.
Databricks launches always-on Genie AI agent for firms
The update aims to help large firms use AI for longer-running work without exposing sensitive data, while keeping every action auditable.
Xero launches Xforce AI support for accounting firms
Accounting firms facing heavier workloads will get hands-on AI help from Xero as it tests Xforce with design partners in three markets.
Adobe previews 10 creative AI projects at MAX 2026
Creative professionals could get more direct control over video, audio and image edits as Adobe opens some early research to wider testing.
Apple widens Swift Student Challenge to all platforms
Students will be able to submit apps for Apple's phone, tablet, desktop, watch, TV and headset platforms in the 2027 challenge.
Fleet launches AI governance push for endpoint GitOps
Endpoint teams could cut manual work and speed up fixes as Fleet's Git-based device management push won backing from Cisco and others.
Honeywell adds AI tools for building operations & safety
Building operators could gain conversational AI tools and alarm support as Honeywell expands software across fire, security and energy systems.
Cloud Security Alliance launches verified AI assurance level
Organisations now have a third-party check on AI governance as businesses face tighter scrutiny over how systems are monitored and controlled.
Anthropic adds Claude Sheets & Whiteboards for business
Business users can now build spreadsheets, whiteboards and dashboards in Claude as Anthropic widens its AI assistant beyond coding.
Daylight raises USD $80 million to scale AI security
Rising demand from large enterprises has helped the New York-based cyber security group attract fresh capital to expand across the US, EMEA and APAC.
Industrial AI shifts from demos to tightly controlled use
Industrial users are adopting AI only in tightly bounded roles, as safety, power and integration constraints keep deployments under close human control.
MYOB wins strategic partner award for bookkeeping AI
The recognition underlines growing demand for AI skills in bookkeeping, as MYOB and the institute train practitioners to support small businesses.
Commvault names top partner award winners at SHIFT 2026
Partners across storage, cloud and security were recognised as demand grows for cleaner recovery and stronger resilience around AI projects.
Adobe widens AI agents across creative & marketing tools
Adobe is trying to keep its software central as generative AI spreads, by letting customers use its tools alongside outside models and agents.
Rubrik extends Google Cloud backup to BigQuery & Storage
The move gives organisations a separate recovery path for analytics and AI data, after attacks on cloud backups and identity systems have risen.
Linux Foundation launches Agent Name Service for AI
The open standard aims to let organisations verify AI agents before they are trusted to act across networks, systems and services.
Illumio joins WWT's AI resilience framework for containment
The move places Illumio in a vendor-neutral model that helps organisations judge how to contain breaches in increasingly connected AI systems.
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
