After wrapping this week’s Elevate in Toronto one thing was clear:

AI is finally doing what it’s good at.

Not as a bolt-on feature or chatbot, sprinkled on every dashboard just to say “we use AI.”

It’s becoming the operating system under everything. Quiet. Functional. Integrated.

Another big positive for us was that Elevate and eTail happening at the same time! Both jam-packed with people flying in from all over to work with world-class Canadian businesses.

The energy was quite different this year.
Less pitch deck flash. More “let’s build something that actually works.”

The big names: OpenAI, Aurora, Kids Help Phone…they weren’t talking about generative this or predictive that.

They were talking about systems. Using AI to automate the boring, repeatable stuff so humans can stay strategic. To break everyone out of box-checking drudgery.

In DTC and retail especially, it’s not about showing off plugins and tools anymore.

It’s about using AI to quietly power things that actually makes businesses grow: Promo testing, Support routing, Inventory workflows and CRM optimization

Those essential things that don’t trend on LinkedIn, but move real metrics.

If you left Elevate or eTail wondering if you’re doing enough with AI, chances are, you’re asking the right questions.

Because it’s not about being first anymore, it’s about building the foundation.

Think of AI as an operating system, not a novelty. That’s where it’s going.

And Canada’s already in motion.

Thanks to everyone who met and talked with us, it was a great time and I’ll see you all there next year!