Today at the KPMG AI Made Real Summit in Vancouver, Marc Low, Director of Innovation and Emerging Technology at KPMG Ignition, delivered an energetic call to action for Canadian businesses: embrace generative AI, or risk being left behind.
“The space is moving so quickly. If you’re sitting on the sidelines, it’s time to get in the game,” Low told the packed ballroom at the Paradox Hotel, setting the tone for an afternoon that emphasized applied innovation over theoretical hype.
In a speech laced with humour and urgency, Low introduced what he called the “vibes era” of generative AI—a shift in how businesses interact with software. Unlike traditional enterprise applications built top-down by developers, Low said the new paradigm is about starting with the outcome you want and letting the AI help shape the solution.
“Vibes means you sit and you think about, what’s the end goal that I want? And you don’t worry about how the technology is going to get there.”
To bring this concept to life, Low invited colleague Jerome Hector on stage to co-create an AI-powered sales dashboard in real time using Replit. The crowd helped choose parameters for the fictional company—dubbed “BluBluBlueberry”—and watched as the tool generated and iterated on a working application on the fly.
The interactive demo showed how rapidly AI tools can reduce the friction between business intent and execution. “That’s a workflow that you used to pass your web development team,” said Low.
But Low wasn’t just showcasing tech toys. He warned of a growing sameness in design and strategy as more organizations rely on off-the-shelf AI. Sharing the story of a friend whose user experience agency folded, he reflected on the “Waldo-ification of brands” as businesses generate identical outputs with similar tools.
“If everybody’s got the tools, then everything starts to look the same,” he cautioned.
Despite the light-hearted tone, Low ended on a serious note, arguing that technology alone isn’t the differentiator. It’s the human layer—the customer and employee experience—that will define competitive advantage in the AI era.
“When the machines can do all the stuff that was grunt work, what’s left is your human experience. Those are the organizations that will thrive in the AI era.”
The message was clear: AI is no longer a side project. It’s a strategic imperative, and those who move first—with both speed and intention—stand to lead Canada’s digital transformation.
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