Enterprise AI is moving away from experimentation and into industrialization – that was the overarching takeaway from the absolute jam-packed energy at Process Intelligence Day (PI Day): NYC.
The event brought together hundreds of industry professionals packed into a venue spanning an entire floor. But beyond the impressive turnout, the real value lay in the "CIO takes" from industry titans on how operational context is the missing link to meaningful RoAI.
The foundational message driving the event – and literally carried across billboards in SoHo and NYC taxi tops – was clear: Enterprise AI only works when it understands how your business runs. It needs operational context.
External leaders heavily validated this sentiment. Lloyd Adams, Corporate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Enterprise Sales at Microsoft, summarized the next frontier in a post-event reflection:
"Companies are shifting the focus from what AI can generate to how AI operates across systems, processes, and day-to-day business execution. That’s why process intelligence and operational context are becoming increasingly important. Enterprise AI only works when data, intelligence, and process are connected."
Adams emphasized that the ultimate value comes from pairing deep process intelligence and real-time business context with global cloud and AI platforms to move companies from experimental AI tech to "measurable business impact."
He’s not alone. Prakash Patel, Director of Data Analytics & Process Mining at Cardinal Health, shared:
“I've seen firsthand that without context, AI doesn’t do well. With the process data and business knowledge we get from Celonis, that context is going to be everything."
Internally, Celonis leadership noted a distinct shift in how senior executives are approaching process data. The conversation has moved from tactical IT improvements to enterprise-wide, business-critical survival strategies.
Reflecting on the record-breaking turnout, Lead Transformation Evangelist at Celoins, Kerry Brown, captured the atmosphere on the ground:
"The excitement was palpable, even more than usual, with a lot of curiosity and leaning in... The level of conversation naturally has lifted to broader enterprise-wide business-critical topics that are shared by so many of our customers."
PI Day NYC proved that the demand for operational context in the age of AI has never been higher.
Missed the action in the Big Apple? The excitement isn't slowing down.
→ Lock in your calendars now for the ultimate gathering of process context leaders: Celosphere 2026, happening December 1–3, 2026!
