Company Interview / ReadyTech questions where the AI payoff is

Key points:

AI “belief” is rising faster than AI “behaviour”, with ROI taking longer to emergeGovernance, security, privacy and change management are flagged as the key constraints on effective AI deploymentReadyTech is using AI both to enhance its own productivity and to embed capability into client-facing solutions

James Diamond from ReadyTech (ASX:RDY) states that corporate enthusiasm for artificial intelligence is outpacing practical implementation, with “AI belief” running ahead of “AI behaviour”. Diamond cites ReadyTech research indicating many organisations plan to spend heavily on AI, with around one in five expecting to invest $5–20 million over the next 12 months, yet robust measurement of productivity gains and return on investment is lagging. In his view, genuine uplift only appears once AI is deployed across the entire value chain, which can take months.

Diamond argues that the biggest challenge is not identifying AI use cases, but managing change. He points to strong potential in software development, quality assurance, legal and contract review, and salesforce management. However, he states that governance, security and privacy are often underdone, and urges a “security first, privacy first” approach, with clear policies and frameworks guiding safe experimentation and decisions on when AI should run autonomously versus with humans in the loop.

For ReadyTech, Diamond outlines a dual focus: using AI internally to speed feature delivery and quality assurance, and embedding AI into products for customers in local government, recruitment and education. He sees material opportunity in clearing planning backlogs, accelerating hiring, and supporting recognition of prior learning amid Australia’s skills constraints.