A CTO perspective on AI

From my viewpoint as a CTO, AI brings value on two complementary levels.

The first is personal productivity. As an embedded assistant in tools like Dynamics 365, Office and Teams, Copilot helps us by making information easier to access, automating routine tasks, and supporting content creation through generative AI. Instead of searching through systems, people can simply ask Copilot to surface the right data. Repetitive work such as preparing meeting notes or drafting standard emails can be automated. And generative AI can produce first drafts of documentation or communication that employees can quickly refine. For individuals, Copilot is already a time-saver. These small wins free up energy for more meaningful work.

The second level comes from AI agents, and is all about business process optimization. AI agents are more autonomous systems that monitor, learn, and act across processes. They can orchestrate workflows, make predictions, and operate behind the scenes to optimize operations. Think predictive maintenance in manufacturing, automated order intake from customer emails, or sentiment analysis in customer service. These process-level AI agents reduce friction, improve accuracy, and create new forms of value.

The two perspectives reinforce each other: once people see the benefits in their daily work, they become more open to exploring how AI can improve the wider process. That’s when adoption really takes off.

What has really changed?

Automation and tools like Copilot Studio are not entirely new. Microsoft customers have been automating processes with tools like Power Automate for years. What has changed is the level of intelligence, accessibility and ease of use.

Today’s Copilot features use natural language and advanced AI models to generate useful output quickly. They assist users directly within applications, while AI agents can operate across systems and data sources to automate broader processes. Instead of building detailed workflows step by step, users can simply ask, “Create a purchase order based on this email” or “Summarize last week’s meeting notes into key actions.”

For developers, copilots can draft code snippets, write test cases, or generate technical documentation. For finance teams, copilots can propose reconciliations and prepare collection reminders. These capabilities represent a fundamental shift: less time spent on repetitive tasks, more time for analysis, strategy, and decision-making.

The value of AI: reshaping decision-making

It is tempting to see AI primarily as a way to save time. But for companies, the real value lies elsewhere. Copilot has the potential to reshape decision-making and risk management at scale.

• Improved forecasting: Better predictions of customer payments or supplier delays.
• Faster response to disruption: Early warning signals when maintenance is needed or supply shortages loom.
• Customer insights: Sentiment analysis and contextual data for more personalized engagement.
• Data quality and risk reduction: AI can highlight anomalies and ensure that leaders work with trustworthy information.

It’s not that time savings do not matter, but the real benefit comes from acting on insights faster, not just doing the same tasks more quickly.

AI is not something you can just switch on. It only works well if your digital foundations and business processes are solid. At 9altitudes, we call this the digital thread: processes linked across business systems from start to finish, data managed centrally, and systems working together. Without this, AI stays in silos and delivers only partial value.

To become “AI-ready”, your organization will need to invest in:

• Cloud infrastructure: a scalable and secure environment for running AI workloads.
• Data quality and governance: clean, well-structured data that AI can reliably build on.
• Process harmonization: avoiding silos so insights flow across the organization.

This is important to stress: AI is not a separate revolution. It is an accelerator of digital transformation. So, if your processes and data are not connected, AI will only deliver superficial results.

Executives rightly ask: can we trust AI to make the right decisions? The answer is that, while AI agents are evolving towards greater autonomy (with the timeline depending on the type of task), end-to-end processes are still owned by humans. Agents can automate and prepare, but humans need to monitor, correct or intervene where needed. That means humans stay in charge of approvals and final decisions, while AI accelerates the preparation and provides recommendations.

The main challenge with AI is not the technology, but keeping control over data. If sensitive information, such as salaries, medical records, or confidential contracts, is not governed properly, AI may surface it where it doesn’t belong. Strong governance and connected processes ensure that Copilot adds value without exposing risks. In the end, it’s about how we manage access and control, not about AI failing.

Test, learn, expand

One mistake companies often make is expecting AI to deliver enterprise-wide transformation on day one. The smarter path is incremental.

• Spot the right opportunities first. See where AI can make the biggest difference for your organization.
• Start with quick wins and use the standard Copilot functionality for immediate productivity boosts.
• Build AI into your workflows: Copilot Studio allows low-code customization to align Copilot with specific processes.
• Custom AI projects add advanced capabilities for organizations ready to invest further.
• Fuse different AI agents and custom models into one ecosystem to deliver lasting business value.

Our advice: think big, start small, and scale fast. We have been saying this for years when working on digital transformation. And it is still valid advice in the age of AI. This pragmatic approach lowers risk while building experience and trust across the organization.

Industry expertise, practical impact

AI use cases are not the same in every industry. In manufacturing it supports predictive maintenance, quality control, supply chain visibility, and compliance. In services it speeds up access to knowledge, improves customer experience, and streamlines back-office processes.

In both cases, AI adds a new layer of intelligence on top of the ERP, CRM, and PLM systems companies already use. To make that layer meaningful, industry knowledge is essential. At 9altitudes, our consultants understand how manufacturing, services, and distribution companies operate, and we translate AI capabilities into real outcomes such as better forecasting, higher quality, and faster response to change.

What sets us apart is not just technical expertise, because with AI advancing so rapidly, technical skills are becoming less and less of a limitation. It’s more our ability to weave AI into the broader digital thread of a business. For us, AI is never an isolated project, but part of digital transformation, grounded in both technology and business process knowledge.

AI is here to stay. It is already reshaping how people work and how organizations compete. The question for leaders is whether they will embrace it early or risk falling behind.

From a 9altitudes perspective, our advice is simple:

• Don’t wait for the perfect AI business case, but start with small cases to build skills and trust.
• Build your digital foundation now: cloud, data, and processes.
• Start small with copilots, learn, extend with tools like Copilot Studio and expand strategically towards fully customized AI use cases.

Ready to explore what AI and Copilot can do for your business? Get in touch