Maximising AI Returns

‍The AI Shift – Are You Ready?

Cliff Bailey, NZ Business Development Manager, Titan DMS

‍

When the AADA convention hits Brisbane in July, something will be different, and it’s not just the venue. This year, the program includes six workshops on Artificial Intelligence. Last year? None. That jump tells us everything: AI is no longer on the fringe. It’s mainstream. And for the automotive industry, the impact over the next 12 to 24 months could be game-changing.

As with all change, those who prepare have the best opportunity to come out ahead.

Where the Impact will hit first

Expect the biggest early gains in efficiency. AI is great at handling repetitive, low-value tasks. Think: formatting emails, summarising notes, processing spreadsheets, generating reports, or responding to standard customer queries. These are the kinds of things that weigh down your team and drain time. AI agents and tools can start lifting that weight today.

Marketing is also shifting fast. Tools like Runway (for video), ElevenLabs (for voice), and Midjourney (for visuals) are already changing how dealerships create content. Sales teams can polish messages, improve clarity, and personalise communications at scale, just by running drafts through AI.

But here’s the bigger play: customer expectations. As people get used to fast, smart AI-powered interactions elsewhere - in banking, travel, online retail - they’ll start expecting the same from dealerships. And if you’re not delivering that experience, it will show. Industries that lag in technology adoption could become a liability if consumer AI adoption and impact are rapid.

Change won’t be instant, but it’s coming

Despite the momentum, don’t expect a full transformation overnight. There’s always a gap between new tech being available and it actually being useful - integration and adoption take time. But none of that means we should sit still.

Instead, take the pressure off “getting it perfect” and start small. Build capability. Experiment. Learn. The key is progress, not perfection.

Six Practical Steps You Can Take Right Now

Assign an AI Champion: Pick someone to own this space internally. They don’t need to be technical, just curious and committed to learning.
Audit Your Bottlenecks: Identify which workflows drain time or cause frustration. These are your best starting points.
Trial Lightweight Tools: Test, Midjourney, Runway, Replit, Basedash, ChatGPT, etc. Try using AI for one narrow task — like writing, scheduling, or editing.
Start Small: Investigate Replit and build an agent to automate a simple, repetitive Excel task. Small wins now build confidence and competence in the future.
Measure What Matters: Pick a couple of metrics to track - like time saved or email quality - so you can see the impact clearly.
Stay Informed: Subscribe to smart AI newsletters like The Rundown AI or Superhuman.ai. Ten minutes a week goes a long way.

Adaptability is now a job skill

One of the less obvious impacts of AI is how it will shift roles inside businesses. Some jobs will change. Some will shrink. Some new ones will emerge. That makes adaptability a critical trait, not just in your current team, but in the people you hire moving forward.

But while AI does more, the value of human judgment and connection actually increases. Customers will still want real relationships, honest service, and authentic communication - probably even more so, as AI becomes ubiquitous.

In other words, your team will need to be both AI-literate and deeply human. That’s not a contradiction. It will become the new requirement.

Final thought: don’t get left behind

AI isn’t the first wave of change we’ve seen, and it won’t be the last. The internet, mobile, and digital retailing - industries have adapted before and will adapt again. But timing matters.

Start now, even if it’s just small experiments. Ask your team to share what they’re learning. Every step builds momentum.

The businesses that begin today will be the ones that thrive tomorrow. The ones who don’t? They may find their customers and their competitors have already moved on.