At a recent SW4E ecosystem working group meeting, Liana Technologies didn’t just talk about AI. They demonstrated it. Through concrete demos, they showed how AI is already embedded in their products, development, and daily work. The key takeaway is clear: the real advantage does not come from isolated AI pilots, but from maintaining an early mover mentality across the entire organization.
Turning “AI First” from Strategy into Reality
Liana’s approach is built around an “AI first” principle: whenever something new is developed, the first question is whether AI can improve it. This creates a strong strategic direction and, more importantly, drives everyday decisions.
In practice, this translates into two parallel tracks: embedding AI into products and using AI in daily work. A key shift is moving away from AI as a feature and toward AI as a core element of the user experience. AI is embedded directly into workflows, guiding users, generating content, and suggesting next steps based on data.
But strategy alone is not enough. One of the most important insights discussed was the human factor. While leadership pushes for efficiency, users may hesitate if they feel AI threatens their role. Liana addresses this by positioning AI as a “colleague”, a tool that removes friction and helps people get started faster rather than replacing them.
Early Mover Mindset in Practice: Speed, Experimentation, and Learning
What truly stands out in Liana’s approach is how consistently they operate like an early mover, not just at the leadership level but across teams.
First, speed is prioritized over perfection. Product ideas that previously took months to move from concept to prototype can now be built and tested with customers within the same day, even by non-technical team members. This dramatically shortens feedback loops and reduces development risk.
Second, experimentation is continuous. The company actively tests new tools, often using monthly subscriptions to stay flexible. If a better solution appears, they switch. This avoids lock-in and keeps the organization aligned with the fast-moving AI landscape.
Third, learning is shared organically. Instead of forcing tools top-down, adoption spreads through peer examples. When one colleague demonstrates a faster way of working, others follow. This creates a culture where trying new AI tools is normal, not exceptional.
From Efficiency Gains to New Ways of Working
The impact of this mindset is visible across the business.
AI is turning customer meetings into structured, actionable insight by identifying trends, feature requests, and sales blockers from recorded discussions. It is automating complex expert tasks like media analysis, reducing work from days to minutes. It is also saving significant time in everyday activities such as creating presentations or meeting summaries.
However, the most important change is not efficiency. It is transformation. AI is already reshaping roles and workflows. When non-developers can build prototypes or sales teams can create assets independently, traditional boundaries between functions begin to blur.
For many organizations, this is where the real challenge lies. It is not about adopting a single tool. It is about changing how the organization operates. Companies that succeed will be those that can maintain an early mover mindset not only in strategy, but in everyday behavior by continuously testing, learning, and adapting.
In the meeting, Lauri Juntunen (CPO) and Lari Suomalainen (COO) presented concrete use cases and tools they use in their AI-enabled workflow. Join the ecosystem to be part of the discussion on Finnish AI-native software engineering.
About the authors
Lauri Juntunen (Chief Product Officer) and Lari Suomalainen (Chief Operating Officer) are active members of the SW4E ecosystem and its flagship projects. They are driving practical AI adoption within Liana by embedding AI into products, development processes, and everyday work.
Liana Technologies is a Finnish SaaS company specializing in marketing and communication solutions. With over 20 years of experience and more than 3,000 customers, Liana is currently transforming its business through an “AI first” approach by integrating AI across its product portfolio and internal operations.