At IAMTech, our AI journey started three years ago, trying to help our software engineering team understand the advances made at that time in the field of AI, to not perceive AI as a threat, to see it as an opportunity.
We identified key stages in our software development lifecycle, where we hoped AI could add value. We then sought two or more tools, available at that time, that we bench tested to determine their effectiveness at performing a particular step in our development lifecycle, for example, code reviews.
What followed was a process of discovery, experimentation, and delivery. Not everything worked. But enough did in 2023 to plant the seeds that, with further nurturing over the 30 months, since led to a reshape of how we think, operate, and innovate across not just our software engineering team, but our entire business.
This would not have happened if we had not empowered our entire team to explore, build, and on occasion break things — all in the name of progress!
Culture First, Tech Second
AI at IAMTech isn’t just our engineering team’s responsibility. It belongs to everyone. Whether you're in marketing, customer support, engineering, or leadership, you’re empowered to discover and apply emerging technology that makes your role smarter, faster, and more impactful.
This bottom-up autonomy and agility are what set IAMTech apart.
The most profound shift in implementing an effective AI strategy wasn’t technical — it was cultural. At IAMTech, we’ve always championed:
- not being afraid of trying, nor failing,
- sharing the learning with others,
- and finishing the idea so it can be used by others
This philosophy is central to how we innovate as a business, how we have implemented AI with purpose.
AI Month: Testing, Tinkering, and Breaking Stuff
This month, I launched ‘August is AI Month’ — a company-wide initiative where every team member:
- adopts an existing or creates a new AI tool, to reduce the hours worked in the ‘red-time bucket’ - Red-Time are tasks we perform as a business, that are worth less in value than the cost of the person's hour(s),
- tests the innovation in their workflow,
- and reports back on the real-world value to the entire company
Some teams streamlined reporting. Others automated repetitive tasks.
Other projects included automating time tracking by linking Harvest entries with HubSpot tickets and visualising the data in Power BI — all great use cases for AI-assisted automation, which frees up the team’s time for higher value, yellow and green bucket, uses of their time.
When Things Don’t Work (and Why That’s OK)
Not every idea sticks — and that’s a feature, not a flaw. In 2024, we trialled the Rabbit R1, an AI-powered, handheld, voice & image-activated interface.
Spoiler: it didn’t live up to expectations. But that wasn’t the point. The experiment showed our team and our clients that we’re willing to explore. Sometimes, you take a wrong turn to find the right one.
We try. We test. We break things. And when something works — we scale it.
Making AI Useful — Not Just Impressive
We’re not building AI for the sake of likes and clicks. Our users — plant engineers, maintenance planners, and safety officers — don’t have time to be distracted by novelty. They just want software that increases safety and productivity - That’s why we’ve focused on real, field-tested AI features that deliver immediate value.
In our flagship iPlanSTO software, we have introduced AI-powered planning norms, not only reducing the time taken to plan activity but also dramatically shortening planning windows. It’s not just a feature — it’s a smarter, exponentially more productive way of working.
We also launched an AI-powered data assistant in iPermit. It’s more than a chatbot — it’s a real-time assistant for field teams. Users can use natural language, voice, or text to help check permit statuses, get expiry alerts, or even generate new permits through a conversational interface.
What makes this chatbot effective isn’t just the LLM it is hooked up to — it’s how we trained it using domain-specific language and real-world data. It understands the work, speaks the language, and delivers answers faster than running a custom report.
And the AI impact goes beyond our products. From our marketing team using AI to sharpen targeting and content that resonates, through to our developers collaborating in AI-powered IDE rule sets, allowing for faster iteration and streamlined pair programming.
Why Now Is the Time to Build
As a founder and a builder, I’ve never been more excited. We’re witnessing an explosion of innovation — from AI agents that can reduce the instances of repetitive tasks being performed by higher-value human hours, to non-software engineers creating apps— our team isn’t watching from the sidelines, it’s increasing our capability with both hands.
Combined with our values, transparent pricing, and our software subscription costing less than our competitors, will help us retain our competitiveness in a world where larger competitors may struggle to operate cost-effectively.
Like David and Goliath, giants, especially giants with large teams, will fall in an AI-powered landscape.
Recognised for Innovation
In recognition of our AI-driven transformation, IAMTech was recently named a finalist for AI Solution of the Year at the 2025 Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards — a validation of the meaningful, practical innovation we’re delivering today.
From natural language interfaces in our products, to scalable back-office systems that enable our team to spend more time on higher value activities, we’re not just dreaming about the future — we’re building it.
Final Thought
AI isn’t a bolt-on at IAMTech. It’s become part of our DNA.
We’re not chasing hype. We’re building capability — one experiment, one breakthrough, one lesson shared at a time.
It hasn’t all been smooth or linear. But like Alice, once we followed the Rabbit, we found ourselves in a whole new world of possibility — where curiosity isn’t a distraction, it’s an ally.
And in this AI Wonderland, we’re not just following the rabbit anymore, we’re setting a course others can follow.
