Executive Summary
The conversation around Artificial Intelligence (AI) often gets lost in theory or in superficial applications such as chatbots. This article, based on an in-depth discussion with Aaron Cassorla, CEO of Omnix, goes straight into the operational trenches. The real AI revolution is not about automating the predictable, but about orchestrating the inevitable disruptions that define the reality of any business. For leaders, the message is clear: AI is not just another tool, it is a paradigm shift that redefines agility and competitiveness. Success does not lie in the technology itself, but in the human drive behind it — the ability to identify complex problems and the courage to abandon “proofs of concept” (POCs) in favour of business cases with real, measurable impact.
Here, we break down a practical playbook to transform your organisation into an AI-powered force.
Beyond the hype: the operational reality of AI-powered organisations
In the fast-moving world of technology, few waves have been as powerful — and at the same time as nebulous — as Artificial Intelligence. For executives and decision-makers, separating signal from noise is a constant challenge. Is AI a magic solution, an existential threat, or simply the next tool in the corporate arsenal?
To shed light from real-world experience, episode #95 of the podcast Digital Experience by Soho — “From Traditional Company to AI-Powered: The Transformation Playbook” (in Spanish) — brought together our host, Martin Picerno, with Aaron Cassorla, CEO & Founder of Omnix. Aaron is not a theorist; he is an entrepreneur who radically pivoted his traditional software development company to create Omnix — a firm now operating at the forefront of AI implementation in mission-critical operational processes for multinational organisations across Latin America.
This is not another article about the wonders of ChatGPT. It is a deep analysis of how to move from theory to practice, from simple automation to true business resilience. It is the story of how AI, when applied correctly, gives organisations “superpowers”, enabling them not only to react, but to anticipate and orchestrate the complexities of the real world.
“The key is how we are able to orchestrate that disruption in order to maintain operational continuity and prevent companies from losing money.”
– Aaron Cassorla, CEO & Founder of Omnix
The new reality: from process automation to disruption orchestration
For decades, the goal of technology in business was automation. We sought to digitise and accelerate linear, predictable processes. However, any experienced leader knows that business reality is anything but linear. In business, no plan survives contact with reality.
A machine breaks down, a key supplier fails, an unexpected climate event shuts down a port, a critical team member does not show up for work. These are not exceptions; they are the norm. They are disruptions.
The first major insight from the conversation with Aaron Cassorla is that the true value of advanced AI does not lie in making what already works faster, but in intelligently managing what does not.
The Ever Given case and the fragility of a connected world
Let us recall the Ever Given incident in the Suez Canal. A single disruption — one ship stuck — triggered chaos worth billions of dollars across the global supply chain. This macro-event mirrors the thousands of micro-disruptions that occur daily within every organisation.
Logistics, by its very nature, is a highly complex ecosystem. Aaron explains how Omnix realised that the core problem was not the systems themselves (WMS, ERP, TMS), but their inability to communicate and adapt in real time when reality deviated from the plan.
- The plan says: “Truck A must deliver to location B at 10:00.”
- Reality says: “The customer at location B has just cancelled, there is a protest on the main route, and Truck A has a flat tyre.”
A traditional system freezes. An AI-orchestrated operation evaluates variables in real time and recalculates the best possible action: “Reroute Truck A to customer C, who brought their order forward, use an alternative route, and notify the nearest service workshop for tyre maintenance.”
“What we do is intervene in those systems in real time so that decisions change according to what is best for the business.”
– Aaron Cassorla, CEO & Founder of Omnix
This ability to orchestrate disruptions is the first superpower AI provides. It means moving from a rigid business model to a fluid and resilient one, capable of absorbing the blows of reality — and often turning them into an advantage.
The Human–AI symbiosis: the drive technology cannot replicate
One of the biggest anxieties in the C-suite is the idea that AI will replace human decision-making. Aaron’s view is radically different — and far more powerful: AI does not replace humans, it amplifies human capability to the extreme.
AI can be faster, more creative in combining variables, and have access to more information than any individual. It can analyse two million material combinations when humanity has only explored two hundred thousand. But it lacks one fundamental element: the initial drive.
The Drive: intention and context
AI is an extraordinarily powerful engine, but it needs a human to turn the ignition key. And more importantly, it needs a human to tell it where to go.
- The Initial Drive: AI does not wake up one day and decide, “I will optimise company X’s supply chain.” A human leader — with business knowledge, intuition, and strategic vision — identifies the problem worth solving. Humans define the “what” and the “why”.
- Context: The data fed into AI comes from the organisation’s accumulated knowledge. This knowledge is full of nuance, bias, and tacit understanding. The human role is to curate and contextualise this initial information.
- Verification: Once AI proposes a solution — especially in complex operational environments — a control framework is required. Omnix achieves this by creating “automated supervisors” that verify AI decisions are feasible and aligned with real-world conditions, not just with the data on which the model was trained.
“We need something — in this case, human beings — to provide the initial drive. And that drive is based on the information we already have.”
– Aaron Cassorla, CEO & Founder of Omnix
The human role evolves. It shifts from executor or task supervisor to becoming an AI strategist and orchestra conductor. The value is no longer in having the answer, but in knowing how to ask the right question.
The transformation playbook: a practical approach to becoming AI-powered
How does this philosophy translate into concrete action? The path to becoming an AI-powered company is not built on isolated experiments, but on bold, well-founded bets.
Step 1: Forget POCs — think business cases
Perhaps the most counter-intuitive — and most important — advice for leaders is to abandon the “Proof of Concept” (POC) mindset.
“POCs are useless. That’s the first thing. A POC is very easy to dismiss — not enough data, scalability wasn’t right… and you lose time, you lose money.”
– Aaron Cassorla, CEO & Founder of Omnix
A POC in a controlled, limited environment rarely reflects real-world complexity. Failure is easy to justify, and success does not guarantee scalability. The proposed approach is fundamentally different:
- Identify a complex, high-impact challenge: Do not choose a small, easy problem. Choose a large, painful one that — if solved — would have a meaningful impact on the P&L.
- Invest heavily in validating the business case: Before writing a single line of code, dedicate resources (Omnix proposes a five-week sprint) to deep analysis. This means aligning all stakeholders — from C-level executives to warehouse operators and IT teams.
- Quantify the impact: The goal is to answer one question: “For every 1% improvement we achieve in this process, how much money do we save or generate?” With that figure on the table, investment decisions stop being acts of faith and become rational business decisions.
Step 2: Real pain — aligning the boardroom with the frontline
A common mistake is assuming that the “pain” perceived by senior leadership is the same pain experienced in day-to-day operations. Omnix’s discovery process is built on two-way dialogue:
- Top-down vision: Understanding strategic objectives and the KPIs that concern the C-suite.
- Bottom-up reality: Going down to the “trenches” to understand real bottlenecks, workarounds, and everyday frustrations.
Only when these two perspectives intersect does the true problem emerge. Aligning the COO, focused on delivery, with the technology leader, responsible for security and stability, is essential for any initiative of this scale to succeed.
Step 3: Orchestration in action with multi-agent models
Once the business case is validated, implementation leverages advanced technologies such as multi-agent models. Instead of a single monolithic AI brain, a team of specialised AI agents collaborates to solve complex problems.
- Inventory Agent: Monitors stock levels in real time.
- Logistics Agent: Manages fleet operations and routes.
- Production Agent: Oversees manufacturing plans.
- Commercial Agent: Analyses shifts in demand.
When a disruption occurs, these agents interact, negotiate, and make coordinated decisions — orchestrated by a central platform that ensures coherence and control. This is the future of automation: not rigid software, but an intelligent, adaptive digital ecosystem.
Unlocked superpowers: what does your business really gain?
Implementing an AI strategy based on disruption orchestration is not a simple IT project. It is a fundamental transformation that equips organisations with new competitive capabilities:
- Operational agility and resilience: The ability to adapt in real time to market volatility is no longer a luxury — it is a survival requirement. Organisations that master this capability will navigate uncertainty while competitors sink into it.
- Sustainable competitive advantage: Unlike off-the-shelf software, this is an organisational capability — a new way of operating and thinking that becomes embedded in the company’s DNA and is extremely difficult to replicate.
- Measurable and exponential profitability: By focusing on high-impact challenges, return on investment becomes clear and compelling. Aaron notes that clients can generate ten or even twenty times the cost of implementation. Once organisations adopt this mindset, they continuously identify new processes to optimise, creating a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement.
Conclusion: your next move on the AI chessboard
The conversation with Aaron Cassorla on Digital Experience by Soho leaves us with a fundamental lesson: the companies that will lead the future are not those that simply adopt AI, but those that embed it at the core of their operational strategy.
The journey towards becoming an AI-powered organisation is not a leap into the unknown. It is a strategic process that starts with a shift in mindset:
- Stop thinking about task automation and start thinking about disruption orchestration.
- Abandon low-impact POCs and commit to validating complex, profitable business cases.
- Acknowledge the irreplaceable role of human leadership: providing drive, context, and strategic direction.
The time to act is now. This is not about transforming the entire organisation overnight, but about selecting one critical process and demonstrating the power of this new paradigm. Companies that fail to adopt these technologies and philosophies, as Aaron warns, face a very real risk of disappearing — not because of the technology itself, but due to a lack of speed and agility to compete.
Are you ready to stop reacting to crises and start orchestrating them? Your journey towards an AI-powered operation begins by identifying your most critical challenge.
Contact our Soho experts for a strategic assessment and discover how to apply the principles of AI orchestration.
