ORLANDO, Fla., March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last week at Cority Connect 2026, more than 500 environmental, health and safety leaders from around the world gathered to examine how rapidly evolving technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are reshaping their work. Throughout the event, Cority demonstrated dozens of AI workflows that are now live on its platform, supported by 13 agents and a centralized control center.
These demonstrations, ranging from a medical scribe that allows clinics to see 10% more patients every day to an environmental permit analyzer that eliminates hundreds of hours of admin work and improves compliance, showed how Cortex AI, Cority’s intelligence layer for EHS and operational risk data, can automate work, surface insights, and help organizations move from reactive compliance toward proactive risk prevention.
This marks the most extensive real-world deployment of AI in EHS+ software to date. While much of the industry is still discussing the potential of AI, Cority showcased live AI agents embedded in workflows across safety, health, environmental, and risk management programs.
AI, platforms, and domain expertise reshape the next era of EHS+
Across keynotes, customer sessions, and industry discussions at Cority Connect, one theme was clear: As organizations begin exploring AI, many are realizing that the technology is only as effective as the systems behind it.
Fragmented point solutions and disconnected data make it difficult to generate reliable insights, pushing many organizations to rethink how their EHS+ technology is structured. Many companies are moving away from siloed tools toward unified platforms that bring together safety, health, environmental, and operational risk data in one place. These connected foundations are becoming increasingly important as organizations look to apply AI to real operational workflows and move from reactive compliance toward real-time risk management and prevention.
At the same time, the role of EHS leaders is expanding across the enterprise. As organizations face increasing operational complexity, boards and executives are asking EHS+ leaders to do more and pressuring them to adopt AI. Discussions throughout the conference highlighted how connected data and AI-driven analysis can help EHS teams move from reporting and compliance to playing a more strategic role in predicting and preventing operational risk.
Cority CEO Ryan Magee opened the conference by reflecting on this rapid pace of change across the industry and why the next wave of EHS+ technology will depend not just on AI itself, but on the domain expertise and data foundations required to make it meaningful:
“AI will have a profound and immediate effect on this industry if we get it right,” Magee told attendees. “But let’s be clear, AI is not replacing you, and it’s not replacing Cority. AI cannot do what you do. When it comes to EHS+, industry expertise is still king. It always has been and it always will be. The reason AI is so important in EHS is because the work is important. This isn’t about removing costs. It’s about making a bigger impact on the health and safety of our workforce and our communities.”
Real-world examples from United, Aptiv and more
Examples shared at Cority Connect highlighted how organizations across industries are modernizing their EHS+ programs with AI. Companies including Aptiv, United and Smithfield were among the organizations represented at the conference, reflecting the growing demand for platforms that help teams manage risk across increasingly complex operations.
One healthcare organization discussed deploying AI-powered medical scribe technology across its network of clinics to automate clinical documentation. The organization estimates the solution saves clinicians roughly 30 seconds per patient interaction, freeing up more than 250 hours of clinician time per week while allowing doctors and nurses to focus more directly on patient outcomes rather than administrative work.
EHS+ teams are racing to adopt AI, but few are ready to support it
During the conference, Cority also previewed early themes from an upcoming industry report titled The State of EHS+ Technology, based on the EHS+ Technology Maturity Model. The research surveyed 2,000+ senior EHS+ leaders across industries and geographies to better understand how organizations are evolving their technology and operating models in response to AI.
Early findings discussed at Cority Connect suggest that many EHS+ teams are already experimenting with AI tools, often ahead of formal governance structures. The results point to a growing tension across the industry between the speed of adoption and the systems organizations need to manage AI responsibly.
Eric Olson, Chief Marketing Officer at Cority, said the findings reflect an increasing pressure on EHS+ teams to adopt AI and further consolidate their data and solutions.
“In one of the most risk adverse industries in the world, nearly everyone is going around the system to use AI. The appetite is there, but most said they still run on foundations that weren’t built to support it. The data is clear: AI is accelerating the shift from point solutions to platforms capable of handling new demands for security, data consolidation, and AI governance.”
Cority will be releasing the full findings from the State of EHS+ Technology later this month. It will be available on cority.com
To learn more about CortexAI and CorityOne, visit https://www.cority.com/corityone/.
About Cority
Cority helps customers see and prevent risks across their operations in real time. Our EHS+ platform converges people, data, and AI agents to provide a clear view of information people can trust, automate workflows that make people more impactful, and deliver personalized insights and expertise to improve decision-making. While most solutions respond to risks one at a time, Cority helps prevent them across environmental management, employee health, safety, quality, and sustainability. For 40 years, Cority has been the market leader in EHS+, recognized by top analysts and trusted by more than 1,500 of the most complex organizations worldwide. Learn more at their homepage.
Media Contact:
Natalie Rizk
natalier@theriotmind.agency
