Inside the AMR Network Technology Forum: Building an AI-powered enterprise – the key takeaways

Artificial Intelligence is changing the way Formula One operates, but technology alone isn't enough to unlock its full potential. As organisations increasingly invest in AI, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt it, but how to embed it across every part of the business. That question sat at the heart of one of three panels at our inaugural Technology Forum, held at the AMR Technology Campus ahead of the British Grand Prix.

Hosted as part of the newly launched AMR Network, the forum brought together leaders from across Aston Martin Aramco's AI and technology partner portfolio to explore how collaboration is accelerating innovation in Formula One and beyond. Across three panel discussions, experts shared their perspectives on the future of AI, with the 'Building an AI-powered enterprise' panel shifting the focus from technology itself to the organisations using it.

The discussion explored a fundamental question: if AI is becoming embedded across every business function, what does that mean for people, leadership, security and performance? Here are the key takeaways.

1 | AI won't replace people – it will redefine how they work

The conversation opened with perhaps the biggest question surrounding AI: what happens to people?

Eric Ernst, the team's Technology Ambassador, believes history provides the answer.

"There's always fear when new technology arrives," he said, comparing today's AI revolution with the invention of Gutenberg's printing press. But, he continued, rather than removing expertise, each technological leap has changed the way people work and created new opportunities.

"We're at a similar point now. AI is becoming a kind of superpower."

Instead of spending time creating every piece of work manually, Eric believes employees will increasingly focus on directing, prioritising and validating the output of AI.

"We'll probably become much more valued in doing triage rather than creating work.

"Work will become more continuous, more automated, more agent-driven.

"I'm not worried about people running out of work. In fact, we'll probably work differently and more efficiently."

Engineering managers already think in terms of delegation. Everyone becomes a manager of their own army of AI agents.
Emily Cohen, Vice President Operations, Cognition

2 | From engineers to managers of AI

That evolution is already beginning to play out inside software development teams, according to Emily Cohen, Vice President Operations and People at Cognition.

Cognition has developed Devin, one of the world's first AI software engineers capable of working across the software development lifecycle. But the biggest transformation, Cohen explained, isn't simply that engineers become more productive – it's that the structure of teams begins to change. Rather than replacing engineers, AI enables them to manage multiple specialist agents capable of tackling different parts of a problem simultaneously.

"Engineering managers were actually some of our earliest adopters. They already think in terms of delegation. Everyone becomes a manager of their own army of AI agents.

"That is a form of organisational change. It's going to take a little time to get there, but once people get there, it just allows so much productivity."

3 | Trust is the foundation of AI

As organisations deploy increasing numbers of AI agents, another challenge quickly emerges: security.

In Zscaler CMO Sunil Frida's view, traditional approaches to cybersecurity simply aren't designed for an AI-powered world.

Instead, organisations need to embrace 'Zero Trust' – an approach where every connection, whether from a person, application or AI agent, is continuously verified.

With billions of daily transactions flowing through enterprise networks, security can no longer be treated as an afterthought. As AI agents become more prevalent across organisations, ensuring they operate within secure, trusted environments will be fundamental to unlocking their full potential.

"Think of it like this: instead of having a building where people can roam freely, you only allow direct, verified access to specific rooms," he explained.

"Or even more simply – your building disappears from the outside world unless you are explicitly allowed in."

What matters is not just where data lives, but how quickly it moves and how effectively it can be used.
Gabie Boko, CMO, NetApp

4 | Every AI strategy begins with data

For NetApp CMO Gabie Boko, the role of data infrastructure extends far beyond storage. The challenge is ensuring information moves seamlessly between cloud environments, on-premise systems and edge computing environments like those operating trackside in Formula One.

"If you took all of the companies here today away, the one thing that remains is the data.

"Our role is to connect data and make it usable for AI, security and performance. On race day, that can mean tens of petabytes of data. What matters is not just where data lives, but how quickly it moves and how effectively it can be used."

5 | Performance doesn't stop with technology

The final contribution of the panel came from Eight Sleep Vice President International Marketing & Partnerships Rafael Oliveira, whose perspective demonstrated that AI's impact extends well beyond software and infrastructure.

Oliveira explained how AI is helping optimise one of the most important – and often overlooked – contributors to performance: sleep.

By analysing biometric data throughout the night and dynamically adjusting sleeping conditions, AI can improve recovery, cognitive performance and therefore decision-making the following day.

"We use technology to unlock performance, just like Formula One. In Formula One, you have hundreds of sensors generating constant data every lap. But the missing piece is often the human layer – the team, the engineers, and drivers. At Eight Sleep, we focus on that layer.

"We make hundreds of adjustments every single night to improve sleep."