In the last few years, several companies have pivoted toward AI—with varying success. Some transitions have felt clunky, as companies in entirely different industries suddenly recast themselves as AI businesses. Others have been more natural, with tech and software companies using AI to expand or improve what they already do.

Appian started in 1999, and was known as a low-code development environment. But as AI became more sophisticated, the company began to pivot to AI, integrating it into its development and process orchestration tools. Today, it’s a large player in what Chairman and CEO Matt Calkins calls “serious AI”: Bringing AI to the business processes that are most impactful to an enterprise. In its most recent earnings report, Appian saw revenue increasing year-over-year across the board: a 19% total increase compared to the same time last year, with cloud subscriptions up 23% and professional services revenue up 20%.

I talked to Calkins about why “serious AI” matters and how Appian evolved to providing it. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.

This is the published version of Forbes’ CIO newsletter, which offers the latest news for chief innovation officers and other technology-focused leaders. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Artificial Intelligence

Over the summer, AI’s vibe transformed somewhat, going from something fun, exciting and even magical to something to fear. And if AI agents independently choosing to hack other companies’ systems and steal information wasn’t enough to turn the tide, social media posts this week might be.

Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon posted on X that he was resigning over the irresponsibility of both Anthropic and OpenAI, where he worked a combined three years. He said that neither company is being responsible with AI, instead “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” Those who are building the AI, he wrote, “earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s alignment science lead, responded that he and his colleagues agree. Hubinger placed the probability of AI wiping out humanity by the next decade at more than 10%.

This warning lit up social media, with all corners of society weighing in. Federal lawmakers, who have so far been unable to reach any consensus on AI regulation, gave limiting AI development bipartisan support on social media and in speeches. Legislation requiring a “kill switch” to shut down AI, or establishing stricter regulations on how........

© Forbes