Three Quick Thoughts on CMS Kickoff 25
Reflecting on CMS Kickoff 25, somewhere over Georgia approximately 35,000 feet in the air.
1. The Novelty of AI is Over. It's Time For It to Deliver
Someone at CMS Kickoff 25 described AI thusly:
AI is like an intern. It's enthusiastic but needs supervision.
AI had a sweet coming-out party in 2024. It’s cool. It’s fun. It can do some amazingly creative things almost instantly. But if AI was a toy in 2024, in 2025 – for the CMS community – it needs to be a reliable, efficient, and effective tool.
Rather than be exclusive to content creation (the fun stuff), AI must contribute to content management (the not so fun stuff that’s still critically important). Examples include:
- Checking content for accuracy and compliance.
- Searching and spotting potentially problematic duplicate content.
- Automated content auditing.
- Recommending related or supporting content.
The eager intern constantly bringing coffee to everyone is terrific and appreciated. But at some point, that intern must, you know, do work.
In 2025, it’s time for AI to go beyond content creation. Within a CMS, AI has to contribute in numerous ways and evolve from being a one-trick pony. Even if that one trick is pretty cool.
> FOR FURTHER READING <
Agility CTO presented Verifying Truth in the Age of AI at CMS Kickoff 25.
Check out the blog version of his presentation.
2. Remembering the True End Users of CMS
A common theme throughout CMS Kickoff 25 was that the focus of CMS providers has shifted away from the end user and to the end user of the end user. In other words, not the person building the content but the person consuming it.
Throughout the event, the term “back to basics” was used quite liberally. Now, what that means is open to interpretation. Does that mean:
- Having deeper conversations with customers to understand what they want in a CMS?
- Reinforcing education, support and guidance?
- Making content management systems super easy and intuitive to use for content creators?
During a panel discussion, one of the panelists said the soft skills – sharing knowledge and building relationships – are just as important as the software itself. It was easy to see everybody nod their head in agreement.
Another of the panelists summed it up like this:
If you don’t have the hearts and minds of people creating content, all is lost.
Relationships sell the software. Software doesn’t build relationships. And it was good to have that fundamental pillar reinforced during the conference.
3. It's a Race and the Finish Line is Usability for Everyone
Think about all the parts of an organization which use a CMS:
- Marketing.
- Customer service.
- Product development.
- Public relations.
And within those departments are designers, developers, and content creators.
They’re using the same CMS for different purposes. But regardless of who is using a CMS and how, it just needs to be easy and intuitive. Yet, there’s no universal definition of easy and intuitive that everyone can agree on. It’s like jazz: you can’t define it, you just know it when you hear it.
The challenge for CMS vendors is how do you build something when there’s no one true blueprint to follow? End users want usability, but they don’t quite know what that is. The CMS community must figure out what is usability without simply shoving a million features into a platform.
Otherwise, you end up with the Homer.
(Fans of the Simpsons will recognize the Homer as the car Homer Simpson designed. It had so many features that it was useless and ended up putting the car company owned by his half-brother out of business).
Last Words and Thank Yous
It was great to see all the great presentations and participate in lively discussions. The CMS community is small but mighty. Passionate and brilliant.
As for Agility CMS, we’re committed to leveraging the best the community has to offer to evolve our product to continually meet your needs.
Finally, some thank yous:
- Thanks to Janus Boye and Boye and Company for hosting the event and championing the community.
- Thanks to the James Museum of Western Wildlife and Art for providing such a stunning, history-filled venue for CMS Kickoff 25.
- Thanks to everyone who participated in discussions and shared knowledge. A true testament to the collective commitment of the industry to grow and thrive.
About the Author
Mauro Flammini is the Content Manager at Agility CMS. He has over 20 years of content marketing experience, including for international brands such as Research In Motion and Intuit. He lives in Hamilton, ON with his wife, two daughters, and one dog.
