In a Digital Journal Q&A, QBurst CEO Arun “Rak” Ramchandran explains how businesses can unlock AI’s potential by modernizing data foundations, challenging myths about replacing legacy systems, and sharing practical steps for smooth AI adoption.

According to Rak, bolting modern generative AI onto outdated systems is creating a wave of “AI Debt.” He notes that legacy systems often suffer from messy data and workflows that aren’t ready for AI’s scale, leading to a “Retrofitting Trap” where AI risks amplifying errors rather than solving them.

The interview also highlights a shift in how business value is measured. Rak predicts that the industry is moving away from traditional hourly billing toward outcome-based models. This “Service-as-Software” model focuses on results, such as tickets resolved or workflows completed end-to-end, rather than the manual labor involved.

As AI moves from a backend tool to the primary interface for business applications, the focus is shifting toward an era of “agentic commerce.” Rak believes that embracing this architecture allows organizations to move beyond simple automation and design a future where human expertise and AI work hand in hand to deliver consistent, scalable excellence.

Read the full Q&A with Digital Journal.