June 5th, 2025 by Camille Baumann
What an inspiring privilege it was to join 9,000 innovators at the AWS Summit Sydney! While mainstage keynotes from giants like ANZ and Canva captured broad attention, I felt especially energized by the intimate Executive Summit, where 700 visionary leaders united around one compelling ambition: Australia’s potential to lead in the AI era.
Yes, recent data signals that we’re starting cautiously. Studies from the World Economic Forum and KPMG’s Trust in AI research show Australia taking a measured approach, highlighting our relatively lower AI literacy and confidence compared to global peers. But let’s reframe this positively: our careful approach isn’t hesitation—it’s thoughtful, intentional foundation-building focused on integrity, ethics, governance, security, and quality.
Here’s the exciting news: Innovating with Generative AI (GenAI) isn’t a trade-off against quality. With AWS tools like Bedrock, Nova, and SageMaker (powering our own inflectra.ai—the pioneering GenAI for Quality Software Delivery), these foundational concerns are seamlessly integrated, enabling innovation with speed, scale, and safety.
Generative AI isn’t mere hype; it's a tectonic shift, reshaping how we learn, socialize, work, serve customers, reinvent business models, and even retire entire industries! Australia’s legacy of digital innovation positions us perfectly to reclaim global leadership.
From the AWS Executive Leaders’ Summit, one message resonated powerfully: organizations embracing AI early will reap significant rewards, while those hesitant to explore, train, and empower curiosity risk being left behind.
We were inspired by SDPRIA’s Chief Executive, Dr. Teresa Anderson AM, detailing the ambitious launch of Epic+, the world’s largest integrated patient records platform. Connecting everything from anesthesia equipment and emergency wards to clinical trials, genomics, and even digitized baby books—eliminating those bulky children’s blue folders (IYKYK). This represents massive progress. Partnering with AWS ensures rigorous governance, robust cybersecurity, and the scalability to manage over 8 million patient records in New South Wales. The system has impressively scaled from initially handling just 30 G Refs to confidently managing between 130 and 185, ensuring reliability when it launches in March 2026, with completion expected by 2028.
Reflecting back, just one year ago at the AWS Summit, Bedrock had just launched. It’s astonishing how much can happen in an AI year—it's decades of innovation compressed into months!
We also heard insightful perspectives from Matt Comyn, CEO of Commonwealth Bank, who highlighted his approach of empowering 900 team leaders to integrate GenAI into “every task, every role, every day.” His strategy tackles fraud detection, scams prevention, and more. Matt emphasized, “The best way to prepare for the future is to be part of it,” advocating a thoughtful yet bold approach, continuously learning and iterating quickly through small, agile teams.
Phil Le-Brun, Director of Enterprise Strategy at AWS, underscored impressive use-cases, from Bosch’s autonomous digital twins to Goldman Sachs’ quantum computing and Nasdaq’s use of AWS Bedrock against financial crime. Phil distilled wisdom from over 300 successful AWS transformations into practical, impactful advice:
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Business Case for Budget: Practical advice on how to build budgets and business case for AI innovation: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/it-money-matters-four-methods-to-unlock-investment-capacity/ - Don’t just build—also retire legacy systems to unlock investment.
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How to move fast and not be burdened by bureaucracy: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/centralize-or-decentralize/ - balance decentralized agility and centralized oversight.
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Building a culture of nimble teams balancing speed and quality with lived principles that matter: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/from-empty-values-to-working-principles-a-leaders-guide/
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Speed alone can be dangerous a leaders guide to establishing first autonomous team: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/breaking-through-bureaucracy-a-leaders-guide-to-establishing-your-first-autonomous-team/
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Creating a feedback culture so that speed is not as scary: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/the-feedback-fix-how-to-fuel-a-learning-culture/ with rewards and recognition aligned to motivations: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/gamifying-digital-transformation-drive-adoption-through-engagement/
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Stop starting everything; start finishing impactful initiatives quickly: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/deliver-faster-by-limiting-work-in-progress/
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“Quality is my pride! How Samsung chairman’s ambition turned the business around: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/enterprise-strategy/from-possibility-to-practice-reinventing-the-enterprise-from-the-inside/
Phil closed provocatively: “Is anyone delivering software too fast?” Laughter ensued, acknowledging outdated, lengthy ERP implementations simply don’t cut it in this dynamic era.
With only 12% of Australian businesses currently investing in AI training, author and futurist Andrea Clarke emphasized the critical importance of adaptability—AQ (Adaptability Quotient)—as the new frontier for intelligence in the AI age.
A special highlight was hearing from Anthony Seibold, Head Coach of Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, whose lessons transcended sport into leadership wisdom. Anthony’s relatable, authentic advice included:
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Coming back from setbacks to enjoy the roller coaster ride
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Switching gears between work and home with grateful journaling and other tips
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Leading with fair treatment but not necessarily equal, rather tailored support to individuals’ motivations
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Focus: on catching one or two “rabbits” at a time not 5 to ten
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And how to build team bonds through vulnerability using the “Triple H” method encouraging teams to share: a hero, hardship and a highlight.
Crucially, Anthony emphasized “Optimism,” the potent force turning potential into genuine performance, particularly through practical GenAI applications enhancing player and team outcomes.
And this optimism isn't blind—it’s rooted in clear vision. Rianne Van Veldhuizen, Managing Director for AWS in Australia and New Zealand, reassured us of ongoing major investments in world-class Foundation Models, local job creation, and the launch of a dedicated AWS region in New Zealand.
Perfectly timed with this week’s AWS Summit, the Business Council of Australia unveiled bold plans to leverage AI, positioning Australia for leadership by 2028, boosting national GDP, and laying foundations for a vibrant, prosperous future.
The takeaway? With curiosity, pragmatism, and purposeful action, Australia is positioned to catch up and to lead again. Not through risky leaps into dystopia, but as pragmatic, thoughtful pioneers building an AI-driven future that benefits generations to come.