We hear about the “agent” era everywhere. What impact does this have on Comarch, a company that was founded on “classic” IT?
Mateusz Woźniak, Chief Transformation Officer at Comarch: Classic IT, which we grew up with, is a lever for us, not a ballast. Being AI-first at this scale makes us go faster, not slower. AI influences both product development and the transformation of internal processes. In our products, we add AI to real business problems of our clients – in ERP, banking, telecommunications and loyalty programs. In internal processes – we change the handling of customer requests, the way we create software, and the daily work of teams. We have scale, data and context for this. The only thing missing was AI – we add this element and the machine speeds up. Our president has a saying: everything, everywhere, at once. Customers today expect quality and speed at the same time, and we have to keep up. The most tangible proof that it works? Projects that we once planned for 12-18 months are now completed in 6-9 months. And this is not the last word.
It's a bit like folding an airplane mid-flight – but the flight must continue without interruption. We quickly set new directions, but always with caution, because at the end of the day, everything we do must have a positive impact on our customers.
We have 5 thousand specialists and over 30 years of history. We launched the Value Creation Plan transformation program last year – we have over 200 initiatives in every area of the company. Last year we delivered nearly 30 percent. above plan, and our results confirm it, e.g. an increase in EBITDA by nearly 40%. The central vector for Comarch is best market practices and AI. We also started seriously cooperating with Google – we replaced our existing solutions with Workspace, Gemini was added, and today we also use their most advanced, agent-based tools. We enforce adoption and real effects. We encourage teams to share specific examples of AI use. We feel that this new world is not escaping us. Rather, we are part of it and actively co-create it.
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“I don't want to conjure it.”
Is chasing new solutions more exciting, or maybe more tiring?
Mostly exciting for me. But I realize that for many people it can be tiring and I don't want to sugarcoat it. That's why we focus not only on people who want it, but we also try to equip everyone so that they can find their way in this world. In 2025, we trained almost 2.5 thousand people with AI. engineers and analysts. In 2026, our AI Academy is a must-have for everyone, from the C-suite down. Last year, we also established the People sector – without conscious management of cultural change, this scale of activity would simply eat us up. Due to my role, I have a lot of fun with it all and I'm not bored. I would like everyone at Comarch to perceive their work in the same way.
Aren't you afraid that agent solutions will simply replace what Comarch was built on, i.e. solutions for servicing companies?
No – although we asked ourselves this question internally first and with all seriousness. We started with a multidimensional, area-by-area analysis. We have lines where we are relatively safe and those where there are gaps – e.g. in pricing, and we act consciously there. But a large part of our portfolio is very critical and highly regulated systems. Those in which if something goes wrong, it ends with the regulator's action. There, the exit barrier is simply high and an agent will not easily replace them. In tech you can never sleep completely, but in this area we feel strong. At the same time, we actively build agency in our products. We have AI Hub, our platform for orchestrating AI agents in ERP systems, powered by Google's ADK (Agent Development Kit). Agents process invoices, control data, and support financial decisions. We are moving from “AI as support” to agent-driven systems.
Recently, everyone has been wondering who will be needed on the labor market in the AI era. Now you probably have to wonder who will be needed in the era of AI agents.
Agency has been and will be valued – regardless of seniority or level in the structure. The same with critical thinking, although it is gaining importance today, because there are more and more things around us that only look good, but in fact, little comes of it. But this is not enough: I cannot imagine a person today who does not use modern tools and does not keep track of what is changing – this must be a habit, regardless of the role. The paradox is that work sometimes becomes easier and more enjoyable, and in fact there is more of it – because thanks to AI you can do things that were previously out of reach. Looking at myself: I work more and more, but because we are surrounded by more and more things worth doing. I don't believe in the “end of work in the AI era.” I believe that this is a good time to invest in yourself and actively challenge yourself – and I am convinced that it will pay off for everyone who shares similar attitudes.
The manager's role will change “fundamentally”
And who will the manager of the future be? Will he manage people, agents? Or maybe something else?
There will be managers, but their role will change fundamentally. I imagine there will be fewer of them and organizations will be flatter. There will be more hybrid roles – combining humans and agents. Do I see managers who only have agents under them, without people? Yes, absolutely. And this is not an abstraction – a lot has already changed in Comarch. In the past, 10-person teams dominated, today 5-person teams are typical; we shortened the sprints from two weeks to one week. We also operate much better on data – we measure team results very quickly, so decisions are made at a completely different rhythm. In practice, each employee becomes the manager of his or her own small team of AI agents. This is a completely new set of competencies – and this is actually the most interesting front of this whole change. AI allows us to redefine ourselves in our work.
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