Constellation Research’s latest article, “What We Learned from Enterprise Tech Buyers in the First Half of 2025,”captures a familiar tension: AI is everywhere in the conversation, but still feels distant in execution. Buyers are interested—but skeptical. The vision is clear, but the path feels opaque.
At INDUSTRY 5, we believe this isn’t a signal of doubt. It’s a signal of discipline.
Enterprise leaders aren’t rejecting AI. They’re rejecting AI that lacks purpose, explainability, and operational fit. And that’s exactly where i5 enters the conversation.
From Experimentation to Orchestration
Constellation highlights several macro themes—geopolitical risk, budget scrutiny, transformation fatigue—but one insight rises above the rest:
“There’s growing frustration with the ‘agent’ narrative… buyers want assurance that agents can work across systems, align to business objectives, and remain governable at scale.”
We couldn’t agree more.
That’s why i5 wasn’t built as an overlay, add-on, or enhancement. It was designed from day one as a system of orchestration—not just observation.
Our agents don’t live inside one tool or function. They live in the flow of operations—reading, reasoning, negotiating, and acting across demand, supply, transport, inventory, procurement, and policy. In real time. With context. And with traceable logic.
Skeptical of Black Boxes? So Are We.
Enterprise tech buyers are right to be wary of “magic agent” claims. Trust doesn’t come from slogans. It comes from structure.
That’s why every decision in i5 includes:
- What triggered the action
- What simulations were run
- What trade-offs were weighed
- What outcome was selected
- Why that path was chosen
No black box. No silent automation. Just real reasoning, shared in plain language—before anything is executed.
This is what makes i5 different. Not just AI you can understand, but AI that makes you understand your business better.
Integration Without Invasion
One of the loudest concerns in the Constellation report is integration:
“Can these agents actually coordinate across all my existing systems? Or are they just creating new silos?”
At i5, our answer is clear: we don’t require rip-and-replace. We don’t need system migration. We don’t become your system of record.
i5 reads from your data where it lives. It reasons with it. Simulates with it. Acts on it—when allowed. And does all of this without duplicating, disrupting, or dictating.
That’s not a workaround. That’s our architectural principle: orchestration without disruption.
The Ask Behind the Ask: Outcomes
Beneath the surface of every enterprise buyer’s question—about governance, cost, compatibility—is a deeper one: Will this help me make better decisions?
That’s what i5 is built for.
- When a supplier fails, i5 reroutes in seconds.
- When carbon limits are hit, it adjusts sourcing.
- When forecasts conflict, it simulates the outcomes before reality forces the issue.
These are not experiments. They are operational improvements—driven by live agentic logic, built for high-stakes coordination.
Enterprise Buyers Aren’t Pulling Back. They’re Getting Smarter.
What Constellation gets right is the tone of today’s enterprise market: measured, pragmatic, focused. The GenAI boom isn’t over—it’s entering its second phase.
The phase where buyers ask not what can AI do?, but what will it improve, and how will I know?
That’s the question i5 was built to answer. Not with a pitch—but with proof.
If you’re one of those buyers asking for more than buzzwords, you’re not alone. You’re leading the next wave.
And with i5, we’re ready to meet you there.