JM Family’s AI Center of Excellence Empowers People, Streamlines Work and Builds Careers

With a focus on responsible innovation, JM Family is adopting AI thoughtfully — equipping associates with the training, tools and transparency to grow.

When JM Family Enterprises joined the South Florida Business Journal for its 2025 AI Revolution Roundtable, Chief Technology Officer John Damalas delivered a clear message: Artificial intelligence isn’t here to replace people—it’s here to empower them.

The private event brought together several of South Florida’s top leaders in business and tech to unpack how companies in the region are navigating the rapidly evolving world of AI. For JM Family, it was a chance to spotlight how the company and its subsidiaries are integrating AI with intention, transparency and continued investment in its more than 5,000 associates.

South Florida Business Journal: How is your company preparing for/currently handling the regulatory landscape surrounding AI?

John Damalas: “JM Family has established an AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE) to centralize AI expertise and strategy across the enterprise. We’ve developed governance frameworks and formed the AI Council, a cross-functional team that promotes AI initiatives and ensures strategic alignment. The AI CoE prioritizes “Responsible AI” with a formal process to review use cases for transparency and compliance with regulations, including monitoring proposed regulations in relevant jurisdictions.”

SFBJ: Can you share an example of a successful AI project or partnership either within your company or externally, that you’re familiar with?

JD: “Our technology organization has developed AI-powered tools to assist in the creation of requirements and testing. This has led to more consistent quality in these artifacts, improving software development quality and reducing the time required to produce requirements and test cases by approximately 30%.”

SFBJ: What are the most promising AI trends you see emerging in your industry?

JD: “Mainly, the noticeable shift from prioritizing large, transformative use cases to simply understanding how to best integrate AI into routine tasks. We are also seeing an evolving narrative that positions AI as a support tool for human-led activities rather than a total replacement for cognitive work.”

SFBJ: How have you been able to best implement AI practices and leverage its capabilities while also preserving the personal capabilities of your workforce?

JD: “We continue to invest in our workforce development and view AI as an enhancement, not a replacement, for human capability. A critical part of our AI Center of Excellence is giving our associates the tools and training needed to learn about AI and understand how to leverage it within their work.”

SFBJ: How can companies of various sizes utilize AI to help upskill or reskill their workforce?

JD: “AI can be a great tool for creating customized learning pathways for associates in all disciplines. JM Family is currently exploring the use of an AI model to create personalized training plans for software engineers and architects based on their current capability, future career projections and the evolving needs of our business.”

SFBJ: What are the biggest challenges your company or industry faces in implementing AI solutions?

JD: “The first major challenge is the rapid expansion of AI tools and platforms. Major companies, both traditional (Google, Amazon, Microsoft) and AI-specific (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.), release new functionalities faster than enterprises can typically evaluate and adopt them. Additionally, numerous startups are entering the field, necessitating validation to distinguish between genuine advancements and hype. The second challenge involves managing change and promoting psychological safety for users as they adopt these technologies. It is essential to address concerns that AI and other emerging technologies may replace jobs and instead encourage users to perceive them as enhancements to their skills and capabilities.”

SFBJ: What’s a common misperception about AI among your customer or business partner audiences?

JD: “The belief that AI will automatically enhance processes and products can be inaccurate. Similar to the digitization trend of the late 1990s and early 2000s, integrating AI into a business process with considerable inefficiencies may only heighten those inefficiencies unless the process or product is carefully assessed concerning the specific outcomes or goals that AI is supposed to achieve within its context.”

SFBJ: How is AI helping your company improve customer experience?

JD: “AI assists our associates with handling the less value-added tasks in their day. This allows them to devote more time and attention to customer support and connections, while automating the more administrative aspects of their roles.”

SFBJ: It’s the year 2040. What do you think will be the most significant change(s) that AI has brought about in your industry?

JD: “I believe that artificial intelligence will become as ubiquitous as smartphones and will significantly influence our interactions with technology.”

SFBJ: What do you wish non-IT focused business leaders knew about implementing AI technologies?

JD: “Start small in a proven area. Leaders should expect higher investments upfront but can use the learnings to influence and enhance future use cases. Focus on a few uses and expand gradually, rather than tackling too many areas at once.”

SFBJ: What’s one best practice you’d share with a company who’s looking to maximize their use of – or begin using – AI within their operations?

JD: “Establish clear criteria to define “success” when selecting and evaluating use cases. This helps to determine your investment appetite and decide whether to pivot or persevere.”

Read more from the South Florida Business Journal.

About JM Family Enterprises
JM Family Enterprises, Inc. was founded by automotive legend, Jim Moran in 1968. It is a privately held company with $22.8 billion in revenue and more than 5,000 associates. Rooted in automotive and united in its strong culture and core values, JM Family is in the business of helping other businesses succeed. As a long-term partner, it is invested in its companies, associates and its communities. Driven by exceptional performance, current subsidiaries are in the automotive, financial services, franchising and specialty distribution industries. Its family of companies includes: Southeast Toyota Distributors, JM&A Group, World Omni Financial Corp. (dba Southeast Toyota Finance), JM Lexus, Home Franchise Concepts^®, Futura Title & Escrow and Rollease Acmeda. Interact with JM Family on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.