Technology in Action: My Key Takeaways on How AI and Quantum Are Accelerating Global Transformation

I spent the day with IBM at their Technology in Action event in London. It was an opportunity to move past the hype and look closely at how AI, automation and quantum computing are being applied inside organisations today. What stood out is how quickly real progress is being made when technology is combined with trusted data, clear business outcomes and responsible design.

The examples we explored cut across sectors, from healthcare and finance to retail and sports. They highlight the same pattern. Organisations achieve the greatest impact when they focus on practical value, strong governance and scalable architecture.

Here are my key takeaways.

1. IBM as Client Zero shows how large organisations can adopt AI at scale

One of the most valuable insights from the event was seeing how IBM applies its own technology internally. IBM’s Client Zero approach gives a rare view into how a global organisation with hundreds of thousands of employees uses AI, automation and data to transform its own operations. This is important because many organisations struggle to know where to begin, how to scale beyond pilots and how to build a business case for AI.

IBM shared how it has modernised internal processes by simplifying workflows, removing duplication and redesigning end-to-end journeys before introducing automation. This focus on simplification avoids the trap of automating complexity, which often creates more problems than solutions.

The impact is significant. Client Zero has helped $4.5 billion in productivity gains over recent years. These benefits come from time saved, faster decision-making and the ability to redirect people towards higher value work. Importantly, the emphasis is on empowerment rather than headcount reduction. The goal is to give employees the tools and insights they need to work more effectively.

A strong example of this is AskHR, IBM’s AI-powered internal virtual agent. It supports millions of employee interactions each year and automates more than 80 HR tasks through watsonx Orchestrate. Adoption among managers has reached nearly complete levels, and the system has helped reduce HR operational costs by around 40 percent. This type of scale is rare, and it shows what is possible when AI is embedded into everyday workflows rather than treated as a separate tool.

2. AI is transforming how organisations support their people

Some of the most compelling stories came from healthcare. These examples show how AI can relieve pressure on staff, unlock productivity and improve the overall employee experience.

At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, the Enquire virtual assistant is modernising people services for 6,500 employees. The assistant handles a high volume of routine queries around the clock and has already saved more than 3,300 hours of administrative work. This gives frontline staff more time for patient care, which is the real impact that matters.

At University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, the People Assist tool is helping one of the largest teaching trusts streamline daily HR interactions. It is projected to save more than 2,000 working days per year, with hundreds of queries resolved in minutes rather than days.

These examples show that AI can become a reliable, always-on partner that supports colleagues while strengthening service delivery.

3. AI-driven customer experience is entering a new chapter

Banks are moving far beyond traditional chatbots. NatWest’s Cora+is a good example of the next stage of customer interaction. Powered by watsonx, the assistant uses retrieval augmented generation to answer financial questions directly in the conversation. It provides more personalised responses and supports human agents by summarising customer intent. The improvements in satisfaction for certain queries have reached up to 150 percent.

This shift is reshaping digital interactions across industries. Customers expect clarity, empathy and accuracy, and AI can support these expectations at scale.

4. NASA shows how AI can advance scientific discovery

IBM’s collaboration with NASA demonstrates how AI is supporting new forms of scientific exploration. Together, they released Surya, an open source AI foundation model trained on high-resolution solar observation data. The model analyses solar activity and predicts events such as solar flares and changes in solar wind that can disrupt navigation systems, satellites and power grids. This work matters because accurate space weather forecasting protects critical infrastructure on Earth and supports future space missions. The partnership also released the largest curated heliophysics dataset of its kind, giving researchers worldwide new tools to study the Sun with greater precision. It is a strong example of how AI can open up scientific domains that were previously limited by computing power.

5. Retailers are modernising their digital infrastructure to support growth

Boots is a powerful illustration of how established retailers can reinvent their digital presence. As one of the largest health and beauty retailers, with a long heritage and thousands of stores serving millions of customers, Boots needed a modern digital foundation to match its scale.

Working with IBM, the company migrated its legacy commerce systems to IBM Cloud, strengthened site resilience and improved search and personalisation. The results include significant growth in digital orders, higher conversion rates and a platform that now handles peak demand with confidence.

This story highlights the importance of modern infrastructure. When retailers build a strong foundation for AI, customer experience improves rapidly.

6. Quantum progress is moving into practical use cases

Another highlight was the focus on quantum computing and the fact that it is shifting from theory to real impact. IBM’s latest announcement introduced two advanced quantum systems with improved stability and lower error rates, signalling the arrival of what IBM calls the era of quantum utility. This is the stage when quantum machines can support meaningful scientific work that stretches classical computing.

A strong example is IBM’s collaboration with Moderna. Quantum methods are helping researchers analyse mRNA structures and explore molecular configurations that classical systems struggle to model. This supports faster development of future treatments.

Interest is growing across other domains. Financial institutions are testing quantum-inspired optimisation for risk analysis. Automotive and aerospace teams are exploring materials and aerodynamic modelling. Energy organisations are examining grid optimisation and carbon capture chemistry. Climate scientists are considering how quantum-enhanced models could support long-term forecasting.

These developments highlight an important point. Quantum delivers the greatest value when combined with classical computing. IBM’s roadmap focuses on hybrid workflows that bring quantum, high-performance computing and AI together. This approach allows organisations to apply quantum where it matters while relying on classical systems for the rest.

Quantum is becoming a practical tool for scientific and industrial innovation. The priority now is to scale access, strengthen hybrid environments and integrate quantum techniques into everyday research and engineering workflows.

Final reflections

Technology in Action reinforced an important message. The organisations making the greatest progress are the ones applying technologies like AI and quantum with clear purpose. They focus on outcomes, trusted data and responsible design. They build strong digital foundations and bring together the right people, processes and technologies. Real transformation comes from the smart combination of innovation and execution.

IBM showcased this throughout the day. It was inspiring to see how these technologies are being put to work in ways that create measurable value and long-term impact. #IBMPartner #IBM