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IFS Chief Product Officer, Christian Pedersen recently sat down with ERP Today CEO, Mark Vigoroso to discuss the evolving landscape of enterprise software, the impact of AI and automation, and the future of quantum computing. The conversation provided insight into IFS’s vision for innovation and the broader industry shifts that will redefine enterprise technology over the next decade.
Pedersen emphasized that enterprise customers across all industries are either actively investing in AI-driven automation or are on the verge of doing so. According to him, the push toward autonomous business operations is inevitable and will be a key differentiator in the coming years.
“There’s no doubt that every single business is thinking about what autonomous business means to them,” said Pedersen. “This naturally leads to a broader conversation about AI and AI agents.”
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IFS aims to ensure that its customers don’t have to struggle with the complexity of emerging technologies. “Our pledge to customers is that we take care of the technology so they can focus on outcomes,” Pedersen stated, reinforcing IFS’s focus on practical, results-driven innovation.
AI is undeniably playing a role in reshaping the workforce. But Pedersen dismissed fears that AI would replace human jobs outright, instead arguing that AI will enhance human capabilities.
“AI is not going to replace people,” he said. “But people who are really good at using AI will become preferred over those who don’t.”
He likened today’s AI revolution to past industrial revolutions, such as Ford’s introduction of the assembly line in the early 1900s. While disruptive, such technological advancements ultimately led to improved quality of life, higher wages, and greater efficiency.
Pedersen also pointed out that AI-driven automation will be essential in addressing the growing workforce gap caused by declining fertility rates.
“The global fertility rate is dropping fast, particularly in the Western world and China,” he noted. “If we don’t adapt through automation, we’ll face massive labor shortages that will severely impact productivity.”
Beyond AI, Pedersen touched on another transformative technology: quantum computing. While industry opinions on its timeline vary—SAP CEO Christian Klein has projected its impact within three years, while Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is more conservative—Pedersen believes that quantum computing will become essential sooner than many expect.
“There’s no doubt that we will need quantum computing to meet the rising demands of enterprise technology,” he said. “Current power grids won’t be able to support the exponential growth in data processing. Quantum computing will be necessary to sustain the scale of AI-driven operations.”
He cited examples of data center power limitations, noting that many are already struggling to scale due to energy constraints. “It’s not just about computational power; it’s about sustainability,” he added.
Even as we navigate rapidly emerging and evolving technologies like AI and quantum computing, we are still wrestling with legacy challenges like moving from on-premises to cloud deployment of enterprise applications, including ERP. While industry leaders like IFS, SAP and Oracle have been pushing cloud adoption, many businesses remain hesitant.
“More than half of the world is still running ERP on-premise,” Vigoroso noted. “Despite incentives, cloud migration is moving slower than anticipated.”
Pedersen acknowledged the challenge but remained optimistic. “I think everyone will be able to keep up,” he said. “Some industries, like aerospace and defense, are inherently more conservative, and rightfully so. But ultimately, adaptation is necessary.”
IFS remains focused on enabling customers to navigate the future of enterprise technology with confidence. With AI-driven automation, workforce transformation, and the potential of quantum computing, the next decade promises significant changes across industries.
“As with every industrial revolution, change is tough,” Pedersen concluded. “But history has shown that those who adapt emerge stronger.”
What this means for ERP Insiders
The increasingly autonomous enterprise will rely on restructured workforce. As GenAI, Agentic AI and other automation transforms business processes, repetitive, rule-based tasks (such as data entry, reporting, and customer service inquiries) will become fully automated, leading to job reductions in administrative and clerical roles. But AI-augmented jobs will increase, where workers leverage AI agents to enhance decision-making, productivity, and customer interactions. A shift from manual execution to oversight will emerge—employees will manage AI systems rather than perform low-level tasks themselves. The workforce will need new skills to collaborate with AI agents, creating demand for AI Trainers & Prompt Engineers, AI Ethics & Governance Specialists,  AI-Augmented Managers, and Technical Experts in AI Integration. AI will enable hyper-productivity, reducing the number of hours needed for traditional work. Some companies may shift to 4-day workweeks as AI increases efficiency. Work will become more strategic and creative, with AI handling repetitive tasks. Industries slow to adopt AI may struggle to stay competitive, leading to layoffs and industry shifts. Governments and businesses will need to invest heavily in reskilling programs to help displaced workers transition into AI-enhanced roles. And lifelong learning will become mandatory, with workers constantly upgrading their AI-related skills.
Past 18 months has seen a number of AI-enabled capabilities come from Pedersen’s team. IFS now has an AI-powered assistant designed to improve decision-making and user engagement by providing timely knowledge and guidance. The initial integration focused on IFS Cloud help and support information, boosting productivity through accessible insights. ​Also, the company has a dynamic, AI-driven homepage that offers live project status visibility, anomaly detection, and corrective action suggestions. This feature enhances productivity by providing users with real-time insights and interactive widgets to manage assets and services more effectively. ​IFS has also integrated AI into Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) which allows for detailed assessments of potential asset failures, their probabilities, and consequences. AI aids in extracting insights from unstructured data like manuals and maintenance reports, optimizing maintenance strategies to enhance asset availability and reduce costs. ​IFS now offers customers a Manufacturing Scheduling Optimization (MSO) Simulation, which is an AI-driven production planning and scheduling engine that considers factors such as component shortages, lead times, and demand variability. By analyzing various “what-if” scenarios, manufacturers can optimize resource allocation, maximize capacity utilization, and better meet customer demand. ​And the company has released AI-Enhanced Service Management, with features like the AI-powered Home for Dispatchers that provide intelligent insights to assist in task prioritization and resource allocation. This enhancement facilitates efficient scheduling and improves decision-making processes within service management operations.
IFS customers reaping benefits. Cheer Pack North America implemented an industrial automation solution utilizing robotics and IFS.ai to optimize production planning and materials movement. This integration led to anticipated annual savings of $1.5 million and allowed staff to transition to more skilled tasks, addressing labor shortages. ​Noble Corporation integrated IFS.ai capabilities to analyze extensive data, identify potential failure patterns, and inform preventative maintenance strategies. This approach aims to optimize maintenance schedules, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency. ​By extending IFS software across multiple locations, Hexagon Agility improved order-to-ship processes, reduced product costs by avoiding overtime, and utilized actual costing data to support more aggressive pricing strategies. The implementation also automated configurations and customizations, enhancing operational efficiency. ​Ainsworth adopted IFS Field Service Management (FSM) to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and enhance customer service. The flexible solution allowed Ainsworth to manage the service needs of its client base effectively, supporting rapid growth and improved data accuracy. ​Doppelmayr utilized IFS for sales, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of ropeways, making it their central data hub. The software’s real-time visibility through configurable dashboards aided their daily operations and project management, handling about 150 projects yearly.