489: Time To Swap Your Axe For A Chainsaw: The Power of Agentic AI
Colby Ward is a Senior Software Development Manager at Amazon Web Services, specializing in scaling engineering teams in AI and cloud. His diverse background includes roles at Microsoft, running his own development company, and managing supply chain operations for a railroad before joining Amazon, where he helped launch international websites and now focuses on AWS Supply Chain. Ward argues that generic SaaS systems have historically forced businesses to adapt their operations to the software. He champions agentic AI as a transformative tool that acts as a flexible orchestration layer, making unbiased, data-driven decisions and providing a significant competitive advantage, likening its adoption to swapping an axe for a chainsaw.
Today I’m joined by Amazon Web Services, an industry mega-brand that provides a reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world.
Amazon Web Services is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally. Millions of customers, including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies, use AWS to lower costs, become more agile, and innovate faster.
Today, Colby Ward, Senior Software Development Manager at Amazon Web Services, will be talking all about agentic AI. Colby and I will be exploring the shift beyond automation, and why software has to stop dictating how businesses operate. We’ll be talking about the importance of change management, and driving competitive advantage in new ways. Plus, we’ll be asking the big question: are you ready for the future?
Guest bio:
As a technology executive, Colby specializes in scaling engineering teams, driving innovation in AI and cloud, and turning cutting-edge tech into practical solutions — not just flashy demos. He helps companies punch above their weight with technology that actually delivers. Beyond work, Colby coaches soccer, football, and robotics, and builds the occasional robot — some of which need dismantling before they get too clever! He also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where the occasional armbar from someone half his size is a useful reminder of the value of humility.
An introduction to Colby, his background, and role at Amazon Web Services.
An overview of AWS – who they are, what they do, and how they help their customers.
Where enterprise technology has focused over the last couple of decades, the positives and negatives, and how we’ve got to where we are today.
The problem with generic SaaS systems in supply chain, and how agentic AI can deliver improved orchestration and eliminate bias.
How businesses can tackle outdated processes and deal with dirty data to leverage agentic AI in the most effective ways.
Leveraging agentic AI for competitive advantage, and why businesses should be thinking about creating the most amount of outputs from the least amount of inputs.
Whether or not agentic AI will level the playing field.
An overview of ontologies, process and knowledge graphs, and how they can guide agents to achieve next-level intelligence.
Change management, and how businesses should be thinking about people alongside technology to ensure the best chance of success.
Are we ready? What organizations should take away from this discussion.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- Head over to Amazon Web Service’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with AWS and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or X (Twitter), or you can connect with Colby on LinkedIn.
- If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more about AI and change management in supply chain, check out 458: Demystifying Industry Buzzwords and Innovating Intermodal, with Lynxis or 486: Revealed – The Number One Way To Make Your Supply Chain Future-Proof.
- Check out our other podcasts HERE.
