The Ultimate Guide to Generative AI
A curated Kiwi edition of TechDay news, analysis, interviews, reviews, job moves, and related resources for Generative AI (GenAI).
What to know about Generative AI
Generative AI is reshaping the digital landscape by powering advances across industries with its ability to create content, assist decision-making, and automate processes. From enhancing customer experience platforms and streamlining business workflows to transforming healthcare and cybersecurity, generative artificial intelligence is driving innovation and operational efficiency at an unprecedented scale.
Businesses and organisations are increasingly adopting generative AI technologies to harness its potential benefits, while also grappling with challenges such as data privacy, security risks, ethical considerations, and the need for robust governance. As generative AI solutions become core components of enterprise strategies, understanding their capabilities and implications is vital for staying competitive in today’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
Our stories explore practical deployments, emerging trends, and expert insights on generative AI’s impact across sectors, helping readers navigate its opportunities and challenges. Whether you are interested in the latest AI-driven product innovations, policy developments, or strategies for successful AI integration, this collection offers comprehensive information to keep you informed about the pivotal role of generative AI in transforming businesses and society.
Kiwi Generative AI News
Regional stories with direct local relevance
It took 20 years to start regulating social media - will AI controls come sooner?
Public pressure for AI guardrails is surging faster than it did for social media, as Australia joins a growing coalition urging action.
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.
AI shrinks exploit window to zero days, ESET warns
Businesses have almost no time to patch flaws now, as ESET says the median gap between disclosure and exploitation fell to zero days in 2026.
New Zealand academics call for AI office as fears grow
With deepfakes and other harms already reaching users, academics say a dedicated office would help New Zealand regulate AI and join global talks.
Analyst Insights
Research and market analysis connected to Generative AI
AI coding tools shift developers towards review work
Cloudera named leader in Asia Pacific sovereign AI
ABBYY launches FineParser for enterprise AI document parsing
Akto named pioneer in Gartner's AI security quadrant
AI drives bigger data storage needs, Western Digital study
Featured News
Interview: Cloudera says AI agents reshape zero trust
Enterprises must update identity controls as software agents generate more requests and need tightly time-limited access to sensitive systems.
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.
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.
Exclusive: ABBYY launches hybrid AI document models
Enterprises under pressure to curb AI risk and cost are being given a hybrid option that blends generative models with OCR and rules-based extraction.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
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.
Expert Columns
The next eCommerce interface may not be a screen
Some AI risks more subtle than others
The smartest AI will help us use less, not just do more
The Next E-commerce Interface May Not Be a Screen
What should replace the resume in an AI-first hiring process?
Opinion: Yes, AI is coming for your job
Your AI Scaling Problem is Actually a RAG Problem
The AI honeymoon is over. Now businesses must make it work
Four rules for outcome based SaaS pricing in the AI era
AI visibility becoming the new boardroom blind spot
Interviews
Interviews and video coverage from the networkRecent Generative AI News
A10 launches AI Gateway to control model use & cost
Organisations using several AI models will get spending, access and policy controls in one place, as use of generative tools spreads across departments.
Salesforce adopts Legora to boost legal AI workflow
The rollout could speed research and drafting for in-house lawyers while easing pressure from rising regulation and contract volumes.
Pipedrive rolls out Nova AI meeting tool worldwide
Sales teams will get AI meeting notes and CRM updates at no extra cost as Pipedrive expands Nova across Google Meet, Zoom and Teams.
Bazaarvoice & Bluefish team up on AI recommendations
Brands risk losing sales when AI shopping tools cite the wrong details, as the new tie-up flags errors and boosts review visibility.
Orca launches AI partner platform to boost channel sales
Partners may win more business faster as Orca links rewards to lifecycle performance and uses AI to cut sales admin time.
HiBob launches Galileo-powered workforce intelligence
The new tools could help HR teams make tighter pay, role and review decisions using company data and specialist guidance, as rollout begins in 2026.
Amazon Ads launches Agent & DVA+ for unified buying
Advertisers may see simpler campaign setup and less manual work as Amazon folds sponsored, display, video and audio buying into one platform.
OpenAI unveils 20 updates with new agents & GPT-6.1
Businesses may pay less for advanced AI as OpenAI bundles cheaper access, always-on agents and a shared workspace into ChatGPT.
Braze launches AI tools & deepens AWS collaboration
Marketers will gain more automated personalisation and compliance checks as the software maker deepens its ties with AWS.
Ping Identity launches three agents on Google Cloud
Ping Identity has launched three identity agents that let employees and administrators manage identity tasks through Google Cloud Gemini Enterprise.
SEON expands fraud signals to spot AI-made identities
Risk teams now have 200 more checks to catch synthetic identities and AI-generated fraud by linking behaviour, devices and address data.
Shield launches MCP Server for compliance AI access
Compliance teams at regulated banks can now query live surveillance alerts inside Claude, while Shield keeps permissions and records unchanged.
Smarsh adds AI tools for governed communications data
Regulated firms could search and export archived messages through AI while keeping existing permissions, audit logs and chain-of-custody controls.
TechnologyOne launches AI agent for university students
University support could become easier as TechnologyOne rolls out a conversational AI agent linking students to enrolment, resources and tasks.
Betterworks adds AI tools to boost workforce readiness
Employers could spot skills gaps sooner as Betterworks links meeting analysis with development plans and learning tools.
Numeric launches Financial Data Platform to replace ERPs
It aims to shorten monthly closes and preserve transaction detail, as finance teams look for alternatives to journal-based ERP systems.
ASEAN leads world in AI observability, New Relic says
Engineering teams in ASEAN are losing 47% of their capacity to disruptions as AI observability adoption outpaces global peers.
Salesforce expands Live Nation support & Missionforce
Fans will get round-the-clock venue help as the software firm deepens its public sector AI push, with defence revenue up 80% year on year.
TechnologyOne launches AI tools for students & councils
Students, council residents and back-office staff may see faster service as the software group embeds AI into everyday workflows.
Microsoft adds Copilot Home, Code & Autopilot tools
Businesses will be able to control AI bills more tightly as Microsoft folds chat, coding and autonomous agents into one Copilot app.
Job Moves
Inde appoints Nish Sudhakaran as AI & data director
Spectrum Consulting names Darryl van Rensburg for AI drive
Paul Littlefair appointed Chair to lead TUANZ strategic future
Deane Jessep joins StreamGenius AI as new Chief Operating Officer
