Business

From Gut Feel to GPS: Why Sri Lankan brands must own their AI intelligence

Published

2 months ago

2026/02/5

Sahan Weerasooriya

Experts air their views at the forum.

By Ifham Nizam

Sri Lankan brands are standing at a strategic inflection point. Digital budgets have surged, social platforms have multiplied, and artificial intelligence has moved from novelty to necessity. Yet, despite unprecedented access to data, many organisations remain trapped in reactive decision-making—looking backwards rather than anticipating what lies ahead.

That contradiction was sharply articulated at a industry forum on Tuesday night bringing together global platform experts and local practitioners, where the central question was not whether Sri Lankan brands should adopt AI-powered intelligence, but whether they are prepared to own it.

Angel Calinisan, a global social intelligence leader working across emerging markets from Southeast Asia to South Asia, offered a compelling metaphor that framed the discussion.

“Brands are no longer using social intelligence as a rear-view mirror,” Calinisan said.

“They are starting to use it as a GPS. A rear-view mirror tells you what has already happened. A GPS tells you where you are headed—and warns you before you take the wrong turn.”

According to Calinisan, the most advanced brands are deploying AI-driven listening tools to spot anomalies in real time—early signals that indicate shifts in consumer behaviour, emerging reputational risks, or nascent trends before they peak.

“These anomalies could be negative sentiment during a brewing crisis, or they could be the first signs of a behavioural change,” he explained. “AI does what humans cannot do at scale—monitor conversations 24/7, identify what has changed, where it is happening, and who is driving it.”

Crucially, Calinisan stressed that prediction—not reporting—is where competitive advantage now lies. “You need to know whether a trend is just a fad or whether it has velocity and longevity. That predictive layer is what separates leaders from followers.”

For Sri Lankan companies operating in volatile economic and reputational environments, this ability to anticipate rather than react could be the difference between resilience and decline.

One of the most striking insights from Calinisan was her assertion that data is no longer the currency—time is.

“If you read about an issue in the newspaper or see it trending publicly on social media, you are already late,” he warned. “Conversations move across platforms at incredible speed. The brands that survive are the ones that detect signals early and buy themselves time to respond.”

This shift has significant business implications. Early detection allows organisations to protect brand equity, manage crises proactively, and even capitalise on emerging opportunities before competitors are aware they exist.

Calinisan pointed to metrics increasingly used by global brands, such as share of voice, which he said is “highly correlated with market share,” and net sentiment, a measure closely linked to digital brand equity. “These metrics are no longer for reporting decks—they are guiding business decisions.”

Beyond vanity metrics to boardroom relevance

That evolution from surface-level engagement to boardroom relevance was echoed by Anubhav Khanduja, who works closely with enterprise clients across India, South Asia, APEC and global markets.

“Likes and shares are no longer what boards care about,” Khanduja said. “Leadership teams want to see intent and revenue. They want to know how social media contributes to the funnel—from intent creation to conversion and attribution.”

According to Khanduja, enterprise measurement frameworks are rapidly shifting toward metrics that can be directly linked to business outcomes. “Attribution is critical. If you can connect intent and conversion back to your social platforms, that’s when digital earns its seat at the board table.”

This shift reflects a broader maturation of digital marketing—from a communications function to a revenue and growth driver.

As brands juggle five to seven platforms simultaneously, another challenge has emerged: how to centralise operations without flattening the unique culture of each platform.

Khanduja cautioned against the old model of pushing uniform content everywhere. “Content creation has become easy—anyone can do it. What matters now is not missing the essence of what each platform is built for.”

He argued that AI should be used to improve marketer productivity, not replace human judgment. “You can centralise research, workflows and optimisation, while keeping the authentic voice intact and respecting platform-specific nuances.”

The goal, he said, is “doing more with less—without losing relevance.”

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the danger of outsourcing intelligence entirely to agencies and consultancies.

Calinisan was blunt: “The brands pulling ahead are bringing these capabilities in-house. They have management support, clear KPIs, and training programmes that allow teams to experiment, fail, learn and iterate.”

This internalisation of intelligence allows organisations to respond faster, protect institutional knowledge, and build long-term strategic muscle—rather than “renting insight” on a project-by-project basis.

Khanduja reinforced this view, noting that as trust deficits grow in an age of AI-generated content and saturated advertising, credibility increasingly comes from authentic voices—especially employees.

“Employees are becoming central to brand amplification,” he said. “People trust people more than ads. When organisations activate employees responsibly, they gain reach, credibility and resilience—especially during times of change or crisis.”

For Sri Lanka’s corporate sector, the message was clear. Digital transformation is no longer about spending more on ads or adopting the latest tool. It is about owning intelligence, embedding predictive thinking into decision-making, and aligning technology with culture.

As Calinisan summed it up: “It’s not about having more data. It’s about knowing sooner than everyone else—and having the time to act.”

In an increasingly competitive and uncertain environment, that early insight may well become Sri Lankan brands’ most valuable asset.

By Ifham Nizam

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Business

Oil tops $116 a barrel as Iran accuses US of preparing invasion

Published

17 hours ago

2026/03/30

Priyan

A worker collects engine oil as he works at a degassing station in the Zubair oilfield near Basra, Iraq, on March 28, 2026 [Aljazeera]

Oil prices have surged to their highest level in nearly two weeks amid escalation on multiple fronts of the US-Israel war on Iran.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose more than 3 percent on Monday morning to top $116 a barrel.

The latest climb took the global benchmark to its highest point since March 19, when it briefly touched $119 a barrel.

The surge came after Iran said it was prepared for a US ground invasion, with the speaker of the country’s parliament warning that Tehran was waiting for the arrival of US troops to “set them on fire” and “punish” their regional allies.

Tehran’s warning came as the conflict deepened over the weekend, with the Iranian-backed Houthis launching missiles at Israel for the first time in the war, and Israel expanding its invasion of southern Lebanon.

Asia’s main stock indexes fell sharply in morning trading, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 and South Korea’s KOSPI both down more than 4 percent as of 1:30 GMT.

Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the US-Israel war has disrupted about one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) supplies, plunging the world into its biggest energy crisis in decades.

Oil prices have risen nearly 60 percent since the start of the war, driving up fuel prices worldwide and forcing numerous countries to adopt emergency measures to conserve energy.

Analysts have warned that oil prices are likely to keep rising unless maritime traffic returns to normal levels in the strait.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure if Tehran does not relinquish its stranglehold on the waterway by a deadline of April 6.

Trump, who on Thursday extended his deadline by 10 days, has proposed a 15-point plan for ending the war with Iran and insisted that the two sides are making progress towards a deal in indirect talks being mediated by Pakistan.

Tehran has flatly rejected Trump’s plan and proposed its own terms for a ceasefire, including war reparations and recognition of Iran’s right to control the strait.

Greg Newman, CEO of Onyx Capital Group, which began as an oil derivatives trading house, said energy consumers were only beginning to feel the true fallout of the turmoil.

“Physical oil moves around the world in loading cycles, and Europe has taken around three weeks to really start feeling the effects of the oil shortage,” Newman told Al Jazeera.

“Brent is starting to reflect the reality, and we think it’s a steady rise from here towards $120 and beyond.”

Newman said the scale of the disruption had yet to be fully appreciated.

“No one in the market has ever seen the outages we are now suffering from – physical premiums are the highest ever. There is still a sense that the macro world is not taking this seriously enough, but it is worse than anything that has come before it,” he said.

“The reality will come out in the economic numbers over the coming months.”

While Iran has been allowing a growing number of transits by ships that are not aligned with the US or Israel, traffic remains a fraction of pre-war levels.

On Saturday, Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar announced that Tehran had agreed to allow 20 Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass the strait in what he described as a “meaningful step toward peace”.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week that Iran had granted an unspecified number of Malaysian vessels permission to clear the strait.

Seven non-Iranian vessels passed the strait on Thursday, up from five on Wednesday and four on Tuesday, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

Before the start of the war on February 28, the strait saw an average of 120 daily transits, according to Windward.

[Aljazeera]

Business

SLT-MOBITEL turnaround signals new era for SOEs, says deputy minister

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

The panel discussion led by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eng. Eranga Weeraratne (centre) with SLT MOBITEL’s top management Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha

The era of privatising loss-making state-owned enterprises may be drawing to a close, with SLT-MOBITEL emerging as proof that strategic management can deliver profitability without a change in ownership, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eng. Eranga Weeraratne said.

“There was a massive public outcry asking the previous governments to sell the loss-making state-owned enterprises. Now it is not there as it was used to be heard,” Weeraratne said. “SLT-MOBITEL has proven that the proper management strategy can turn any loss-making SOE into profit. Gone are the days we heard ‘sell, sell, sell’.”

The remarks came as Sri Lanka’s national ICT provider reported a decisive financial turnaround in FY 2025, driven by disciplined cost management, operational efficiency, and steady growth across fixed and mobile businesses.

The company has simultaneously rolled out a pioneering 24/7 operational model – the industry’s first – with 14 Outside Plant Maintenance Centres operating round-the-clock in metro areas, Kandy, and Jaffna to ensure uninterrupted connectivity.

“Our strong financial results reflect the resilience of SLT-MOBITEL and the trust customers place in us,” said Dr. Mothilal de Silva, Chairman, SLT Group. “With the roll-out of the 24/7 OPMC operations, we are raising the bar for service reliability.”

SLT-MOBITEL has also made 5G publicly available in Sri Lanka and continues to support the Ministry of Digital Economy with secure data centre infrastructure, reinforcing its role as a catalyst of national development.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

Business

Kia Tasman arrives in Sri Lanka: A pickup built for work and comfort

Published

19 hours ago

2026/03/30

Thilina Walpola

Kia Motors Lanka has launched the all-new Kia Tasman, the brand’s first-ever pickup truck – engineered to redefine the double cab segment by combining rugged capability with SUV-like refinement.

Built on a robust body-on-frame platform, the Tasman offers best-in-class strength with a payload capacity of 1,151kg, towing up to 3,500kg, and water wading up to 800mm. Advanced 4WD systems and terrain modes ensure unmatched off-road performance.

Inside, the cabin surprises with best-in-class rear legroom, sliding and reclining rear seats – a segment-first – and a panoramic display with premium Harman Kardon sound.

“This is a vehicle conceived without compromise,” said Kia Motors Lanka Chairman Mahen Thambiah. “For customers who demand durability, capability, and everyday comfort, the Tasman delivers on every front.”