Rob Thomas Reveals The Role Of AI As A Productive Growth Catalyst At IBM Think 2025

Singapore In the IBM Think 2025, Wednesday, August 20 at the banyan Hotel, Singapore, Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President, Software and Chief Commercial Officer, IBM, confirmed that artificial intelligence (AI) will be the main catalyst for productive growth in the world of modern business.

Thomas explained that AI is not only a trend, but a real solution to increase productivity amidst the slowdown in population and money growth as the main driving factor of the economy. "AI is the main catalyst for productive growth in today's world, especially when population and money growth are no longer the main factors," he said.

He stressed that great opportunities exist for companies that are able to make the most of their internal data appropriately. "The company's biggest opportunity is on how to lock in internal data to improve customer experience, personalization, cost optimism, and productivity," said Thomas.

According to him, AI's journey starts from the experimental stage, continuing to pilot project, then automating the process, to achieving AI agents-based agents that can deliver productivity jumps. AI's journey starts with experiments, pilot projects, then process automation, and eventually AI agents-based agents are able to significantly increase productivity," he added.

Thomas also emphasized the importance of synergy between hybrid cloud and AI. Hybrid cloud and AI are the foundations for creating substantial values. Data integration, automation and infrastructure are key to success," he explained.

He gave an overview of the economic potential that AI could produce. If AI only affects 10'20% of its knowledge work, the impact could reach 5 trillion dollars from GDP. This is an extraordinary opportunity for companies that are able to make the right use of technology," said Thomas.

Furthermore, Thomas described AI as a precision-moving relay team. "AI is not just a job loss anxiety. It is more like a relay team that moves in a coordinated, precise and structured manner," he said.

In addition, in the manufacturing sector, Thomas showed how AI-based automation was able to cut time and improve quality. Manufacturing transformation through AI and automation allow processes that previously ate months to be completed in weeks, improve quality and efficiency," he said.

Thus, IBM insists that the future of global productivity will be largely determined by the company's ability to adopt and integrate AI into their business strategy.