then gives you a helpful message back if you've been a bit vague.” According to McCombe, the company has seen wastage tracking improve by 400% since implementing the AI agent. However, while this demonstrates the benefits of AI tools, he warns users to be mindful about how they use them if they are less bespoke. “ChatGPT was straight out of the box, dump your data in, and start asking questions,” he explains. “You have to be a bit specific with what you are looking for and watch out for it hallucinating – AI chatbots tend to make things up when things get complicated. “However, once you identify what you have to look out for and how to create prompts you are absolutely flying. I would say it takes about a week or two to generally get fairly good at using them.” The company’s in-house AI agents took more time to implement by comparison. McCombe compares it to building a piece of software for a specific solution, in that you still have to scope out the exact issue and how you want that issue solved. “The beauty with AI agent development is it's a bit like the old Wild West of software development,” he posits. “You build quickly and change quickly, so the development speed is rapid. Fortunately, with visual code builders this is now very easy to test and develop, you can ‘vibe code’ it without the need to have experience in software development.” McCombe stresses that Graphic Warehouse don't use AI for anything creative, primarily keeping it as a tool to drive efficiency in already existing systems either through automation, identification, clarification, or quick access. Speaking about the advice he would give to new adopters of the tech, he stresses: “Don’t start with ‘we need AI’ – this seems to be the popular idea right now, but it is not helpful. Start with ‘what’s annoying us every day, what’s getting missed, or what are people avoiding because it’s a pain to log or update?’ That’s where AI actually earns its keep.” So, what are some of the examples of how software providers are utilising AI in their solutions? Smart Software Throughout its over three-decade history providing digital front ends (DFEs) for digital print, Fiery has implemented one form or another of automation processes designed to streamline and enhance the print process. It is no surprise, therefore, that Fiery’s latest technology innovations incorporate AI tech, which represents the latest wave in the history of computational automation. Kerry Moloney, senior product marketing manager at Fiery, explains: “Many of Fiery’s products incorporate AI to some degree – whether for efficiency, greater automation, image recognition, or more.” Fiery have a range of new products launching in 2026 that incorporate AI as a foundational element, namely JobFlow Pro, Fiery Scribe, and Fiery InkWise. The JobFlow Pro workflow automation platform is designed to intelligently adapt to the variety of job types, formats, and operational contexts. In its initial release, JobFlow Pro is focused on the cutsheet market, but there is a planned expansion to Fiery Large Format coming in the version 1.1 release. Moloney comments: “What makes JobFlow Pro adaptable is its use of AI-driven content analysis and job intelligence. It doesn't just rely on metadata – it uses an AI large language model (LLM) to look at the actual file content to identify whether a job is a brochure, postcard, business card, or something more complex. “Based on this classification, it automatically applies the appropriate print presets, imposition templates, and finishing settings, routing the job to the correct destination.” Beyond job content, JobFlow Pro is also designed to adapt in real time to production conditions, receiving sensor data including tray status, environmental conditions, or time-of-day rules, and responding We don’t incorporate AI just for its own sake, or throw it around as a buzzword; rather, we focus on solving concrete, tangible, real-world problems AI captured nearly 50% of all global startup funding in 2025, totalling roughly $202.3bn (£150.85bn), according to a report by business information platform, Crunchbase 50% ▲ Many of Fiery’s latest solutions utilise AI to streamline processes and increase automation 50 email: editor@signlink.co.uk Issue 263 - February | March 2026 AI IN SIGNAGE | JONATHAN PERT
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