Leveraging AI for Global Success: How Kiwi Companies Can Win in the AI Era

The "Leveraging AI for Global Success" webinar at Techweek25 delivered practical insights for New Zealand companies looking to harness artificial intelligence to compete on the world stage. Hosted by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the session brought together industry experts David Pene from Carepatron and Johanna Mateo from NZTE to explore how AI is transforming business operations, customer engagement, and global expansion strategies.

Beyond the AI Hype: Finding Real-World Applications

David Pene, co-founder of Carepatron, a healthcare operating system now used in over 100 countries, opened with a grounded perspective on AI implementation. Rather than focusing on theoretical possibilities, Pene shared how his company is leveraging AI in practical ways that deliver immediate value, suggesting the focus should be on "what does the technology not only enable us to do, but what does it enable us to become?" 

This pragmatic approach emphasises solving real customer problems rather than implementing AI for its own sake. 

The SEO Revolution: From Keywords to Answers

Johanna Mateo from NZTE highlighted a significant shift in how companies need to approach search visibility in the AI era. As traditional search engines evolve into answer engines, businesses must adapt their content strategies accordingly.

"One of the things you can do when you're putting together your content is adopting a question and answer style," Mateo advised. This approach increases the likelihood of appearing in AI-powered search results from platforms.

Mateo emphasised that these answer engines are already "coming up ahead of sponsored ads and even in search results right within Google." This represents a fundamental shift in digital visibility that businesses cannot afford to ignore.

Personalisation: The New Competitive Advantage

Both speakers highlighted how AI is transforming customer personalisation, creating opportunities for even small companies to deliver highly tailored experiences.

"What difference can we make for a work group, team, or individual for a particular role? So that it's not only about delivering more value, but it could be about delivering a much richer or greater experience," Pene explained.

Mateo expanded on this theme, noting that companies can now create "segmented, personalised landing pages" that adapt to visitors based on their online behaviour.

This level of personalisation was previously available only to enterprise-level companies but is now accessible to businesses of all sizes, provided they have a clear understanding of their target audience. As Mateo cautioned, "if you do have a very clear idea of who your end user is, there's so many great tools out there to personalise that experience."

The Human-AI Partnership: Finding the Balance

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the importance of maintaining human involvement alongside AI implementation. Both speakers emphasised that AI should augment human capabilities rather than replace them entirely.

"At the end of the day it's augmenting. It's a partner, it's a tool, and those who learn how to use it well are going to succeed and see their brand grow," Mateo noted. She stressed that while AI adoption is no longer optional, "at the end of the day you still need that human element that AI can't replace."

Pene reinforced this point, suggesting that the most effective AI implementations are those that enhance human potential rather than simply automating tasks: "There is no doubt the technologies that we introduce can have a really profound impact, but it's still people making decisions around the technologies."

Practical Implementation: Starting Small and Scaling

For companies unsure about where to begin with AI, both speakers advocated for a measured, incremental approach focused on specific business challenges.

"The idea here is to start really small and bring in tools that work with the sales process and get buy-in from the sales reps as you do this," Pene advised.

Mateo provided a concrete example of how companies can combine multiple AI tools to create sophisticated outputs: "You could go to one LLM and do the best you can there. But what I've noticed is a lot of people get frustrated because it doesn't give them the output they want." Instead, she recommended experimenting with a "stack of tools" where each contributes its strengths to the final result.

Customer Service: The AI Transformation

One area where AI is already delivering significant benefits is customer service, where tools can handle routine inquiries while freeing human agents to address more complex issues.

Pene shared how Carepatron has implemented "a multilingual AI agent" which "will solve around 80 to 90% of all tickets with high NPS scores." This multilingual capability is particularly valuable for a company operating in over 100 countries and translated into 25 different languages.

"We've got help docs, and we try to be really intentional about building those out for all of the cool features," Pene explained, describing how their knowledge base powers the AI agent's responses. This approach allows Carepatron to provide consistent, high-quality support across multiple markets without proportionally increasing their customer service team.

The system is designed to keep humans involved when necessary: "As always, we try to keep a human in the loop, so if it's unable to service that query, it'll escalate to a human." This hybrid approach combines the efficiency of AI with human judgment and empathy when needed.

The Global Opportunity: Removing Barriers to Entry

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of AI for New Zealand businesses is how it can level the playing field in global markets. By reducing the need for physical presence and enabling 24/7 operations, AI tools allow Kiwi companies to compete effectively despite geographical isolation.

"I think there's a huge opportunity for Aotearoa New Zealand when it comes to increasing our GDP through the SME sector adopting and utilising digital tools," Mateo observed. This is particularly valuable for a small, export-oriented economy like New Zealand's.

Pene highlighted how AI can help companies enter new markets more efficiently: "I love that because it means that it's a very nice conversation for our team to have." By automating aspects of market research, customer engagement, and operational processes, AI reduces the traditional barriers to international expansion.

Quality Over Quantity: Maintaining Brand Integrity

While AI enables companies to produce content at unprecedented scale, Mateo cautioned against sacrificing quality for quantity. "Don't sacrifice your brand's uniqueness. What you know, what your brand's unique viewpoint is for the point of scalability," she advised.

This is particularly important as AI-generated content becomes more common, creating a risk of market saturation. "What we're seeing is a saturation of content that is AI generated. You still need to find that white space and have your brand stand out," Mateo explained.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI for Kiwi Businesses

As the session concluded, both speakers emphasised that AI adoption is no longer optional for companies with global ambitions. The technology is rapidly transforming every aspect of business, from marketing and customer service to product development and operations.

"This is the century of software, AI, robotics. It's the century of Indo-Pacific growth. And we are well placed," Pene noted, highlighting New Zealand's opportunity to leverage AI for competitive advantage.

Mateo reinforced this point, stressing that "it's no longer a nice to have. You kind of have to jump on board very quickly, as we can see how rapidly things are changing." However, she balanced this urgency with a reminder that effective AI implementation requires thoughtful strategy and a clear focus on human needs.

For New Zealand companies looking to leverage AI for global success, the message was clear: start small, focus on real business problems, maintain the human element, and use AI to enhance your unique brand proposition rather than dilute it. With this approach, even small Kiwi businesses can compete effectively on the world stage.

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