Held annually in São Paulo, the ERP Summit 2026 once again brought together executives and experts to discuss the future of business management in a scenario marked by accelerated digital transformation, especially regarding artificial intelligence. Among the program highlights, Walter Longo's presentation offered a direct analysis of the current state of businesses, particularly relevant for financial leaders.
Walter Longo, an advertising executive, entrepreneur, and one of Brazil's leading experts in innovation and digital transformation, has built his career connecting communication, technology, and business. Over the years, he has held leadership positions in large groups and established himself as one of the most influential voices when it comes to business adaptation in rapidly changing environments.
Focusing on behavior, technology, and decision-making, Longo argued that AI represents not just another wave of innovation, but a disruption in how organizations operate and compete.
“Suddenly, another wave arrives on the shore of our lives: artificial intelligence. But this isn't just another wave, it's a gigantic tsunami. Everything that came before AI arrived with a certain speed, but none of them came with this triad at the same time: scope, impact, and speed. Nothing that has arrived so far has come simultaneously with this force,” he revealed.
Throughout the presentation, the executive drew attention to the context in which this transformation is taking place. According to him, companies are already operating under pressure, with increasingly squeezed margins and a growing level of complexity, a scenario that tends to intensify with technological acceleration.
Margins, efficiency, and the short-term dilemma in companies.
According to Longo, this environment has led many leaders into a trap: the excessive prioritization of the short term at the expense of structural decisions. "We are living in a time when our businesses are experiencing decreasing margins and increasing complexity. The result is that we end up being more concerned with the end of the month than with the end of the world," he emphasized.
This statement directly addresses the daily realities of financial leaders across Brazil, who must balance the pressure for immediate results with the need to prepare their companies for more profound changes. In this context, artificial intelligence emerges as a tool capable of addressing precisely this point of tension, expanding analytical capabilities, automating processes, and increasing operational efficiency.
At the same time, Longo emphasized that the adoption of technology, in itself, does not guarantee transformation. According to him, the main challenge for companies lies less in the tools themselves and more in how they are incorporated into the business. “Society, our company, our careers only evolve not when we adopt new tools, but when we adopt new behaviors. Therefore, the great revolution is human, made possible by technology,” he stated.
This provocation is especially relevant for organizations that have been investing in management systems and financial solutions, mainly those linked to artificial intelligence. Without changes in culture, processes, and mindset, efficiency gains tend to be limited.
The new role of the CFO in the age of artificial intelligence.
In this scenario, the role of the CFO is also undergoing a transformation. More than just being responsible for financial control, the leader of this area is gaining prominence in building efficiency and intelligence within companies.
During the lecture, Longo highlighted that, regardless of the sector, every organization essentially seeks three objectives: to make better decisions, to increase operational efficiency, and to improve customer relations—areas directly impacted by artificial intelligence.
In practice, this means that the finance area ceases to be merely reactive and begins to act more strategically, connecting data, technology, and decision-making.
This shift is also reflected in how companies approach structure and growth. Instead of expanding operations with a proportional increase in costs, the trend is to seek leaner and more flexible models.
“The secret to the future of any organization lies not in having more, but in being leaner. We can now have more intelligence with less ownership, more operations with less structure, more flexibility with less burden,” Longo revealed.
The idea of "lightness" gains relevance in a context of pressure for efficiency, especially for companies that deal with expense management, financial control, and scalability.
Another point of concern raised by Longo was the speed of adaptation. According to him, rigid structures and excessive caution can become a greater risk than the error itself.
“I am aware of the governance and compliance risks. But I assure you that today the greatest risk is not taking risks. In times of change, clinging to the assumptions of the past will not move us forward,” he stated.
The speech offers an important reflection on the balance between control and innovation, a central theme for financial leaders, who need to ensure security without compromising agility.
Technology as a means, not an end.
Finally, Longo also addressed the relationship between humans and technology, advocating a view of complementarity. For him, the competitive advantage will not lie in replacing human labor, but in the ability to enhance it through the use of tools.
“No machine will be better than a man or woman with a machine. It’s a process of addition. AI is not threatening jobs. It’s our inertia in the face of it that is,” he stated.
The message is clear: technology will continue to advance at an exponential rate, reducing barriers and democratizing access to efficiency. In this scenario, competitive advantage will not only come from adopting tools, but from the ability to use them intelligently, quickly, and purposefully.
For market leaders, this represents a definitive shift in attitude. The future will not be defined by who best controls the past, but by who can redesign the present with greater agility, less burden, and more clarity of decision-making.
The lesson, according to Longo, is not complex, but it can be challenging for many. It's not enough to simply keep up with the transformation; it will be necessary to lead it!
Image: PagCorp
