Forbes Romania invited Marian Călborean PhD., Managing Partner at OPTI Software, to contribute to the “Lessons for 2026” feature. The discussion focused on the transition from services to products and the real impact of AI on the job market.
Key highlights of the interview:
- Word of the year 2025: "Post-waiting". In the second half of 2025, IT companies stopped waiting for old contracts to return and began acting in new directions.
- OPTI Products: OPTI Software provides services as a Google Cloud Partner and HubSpot Solution Partner as before, but has market-validated its first proprietary product: the AI Sales platform (quoting software extension for existing ERPs).
- AI's impact on work: Citing the November 2025 OECD report, Marian noted that the adoption of artificial intelligence increases the need for advanced skills and creates new necessities in the job market.
Educating the market through "Open Architecture"
Marian emphasized that technology should not just be sold, but explained transparently. "A chat integrated with the company database is no longer science fiction," he states in the interview. To demystify the necessary architecture, OPTI recently launched the 2026 AI in B2B Technical Guides series, which details the integration of AI into distribution and production workflows from the ground up:
- Guide #1: Smart recommendations and guardrails – Upsell and cross-sell algorithms to increase order value, while respecting management rules.
- Guide #2: Data Integration & RAG – Connecting legacy software like ERPs to AI and avoiding hallucinations regarding sensitive data (e.g., stock and price).
- Guide #3: Multimodal Input – Automating order processing from images (e.g., WhatsApp) and voice.
- Guide #4: Hybrid Search and Assistants (Chatbots) – Eliminating product retrieval errors in B2B.
- Guide #5: Continuous optimization and reporting – Setting up an observable system that learns from user behavior.
- Guide #6: Security, audit, and standards – Compliance with ISO 27001 standards, GDPR, and the NIS2 directive in artificial intelligence projects.
"The wave of AI adoption cannot be stopped. Demand for system architects, data engineers, and cybersecurity analysts will increase." - Marian Călborean
➛ Read the full interview on Forbes.ro (in Romanian)
![[UPDATE] The Romanian startup awards will be presented on March 12. Mr. Benny won 3rd place at the Romania Startup Awards 2026.](/images/new-post/small_long-romania-startup-awards-2026-mrbenny.jpg "[UPDATE] The Romanian startup awards will be presented on March 12. Mr. Benny won 3rd place at the Romania Startup Awards 2026.")
