How did you start down this career path?

Dan Saldi, founder of Xaana.Ai and Turium AI reflects, "Why should enterprises have to choose between ease of use and security?" That’s the question that shaped his career during his 20+ years leading digital transformation programs across Asia Pacific and USA. Whether at ANZ Bank, Deloitte, or working with various public sector departments, he kept encountering the same fundamental problem: systems weren’t integrated, leading to disconnected data, slow processes, and decision-making that was always reactive rather than proactive.

Dan recalls how almost every conversation with CIOs and CFOs began the same way: 'We have so many different applications, I don't even know what they all do. We have one of each, and in fact, it doesn’t even stop there—I have many of each. I have many ERP platforms, many edge applications, and data silos everywhere. The result is huge complexity, enormous costs, and being locked into these proprietary systems. Each system is its own little silo, and we’re locked into it.' It became clear to Dan that if one really wanted to make a difference, you couldn’t just fix one part of the problem—you had to rethink the entire approach.

During his time at MIT, Dan studied distributed computing and AI, which opened his eyes to what’s possible when you connect everything. But simply connecting systems wasn’t enough. There needed to be intelligence on top of it—intelligence that could process real-time data, help businesses make smarter decisions, and do so securely. That’s when the idea for Xaana began to take shape.

Turium AI, Xaana’s platform, takes its name from Turiya, the highest state of consciousness. Dan is inspired by the complexity and beauty of the human brain, calling it the most adaptive and powerful system ever created. It goes beyond typical AI. It's not just fine-tuned for an organisation; it’s designed for the unique role of each person within that organisation. Turium Zebra adapts to the specific needs of each user. Whether you're in finance, HR, or operations, Zebra learns from how you work and provides insights tailored to your responsibilities. It’s about empowering individuals with AI that evolves with them, helping them make decisions smarter and faster.

2. What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?

People tend to think of Silicon Valley when they think about AI, but Dan has always believed that Australia has the potential to lead in AI innovation. “It’s not about creating the AI ecosystem,” he says, “it’s about talent and creating the right environment for that talent to grow.” When Dan founded Xaana, the team started with just four people. Today, it has grown to over 100, bringing together some of the brightest AI minds in Australia.

“The talent is here,” Dan says. “We’ve shown that world-class AI can be built right here at home.”

One of the things that inspires him most is how far the company has come. “With Turium, we’ve integrated AI into everything—from satellite data for environmental monitoring to real-time threat detection inside routers for critical infrastructure, and even finance automation with ours being the highest OCR accuracy in the world,” he explains. “We’re predicting financial trends, automating workflows, and enhancing cybersecurity in ways that weren’t even possible five years ago. And this is just the beginning. The possibilities are endless.”

3. What’s your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?

At Xaana, the company’s values are built around collaborative intelligence, “A beautiful symbiosis between human expertise and AI’s capabilities.” as Dan explains it. This belief extends into their approach to customer service. “It’s about empowering our people to make accurate decisions, faster, with the support of advanced technology. And this mindset has resonated with our customers, which is why we’re proud to say we’ve achieved a 100% retention rate—a rarity in this industry.”

This is one of the things Xaana.Ai has followed under Dan’s leadership that the most successful relationships are built on deep understanding, not just of the technical challenges, but of the human ones. “When we work with a client, we don’t just look at their immediate needs. We try to understand their long-term goals, their pain points, their fears, their secret desires and even the constraints they’re working within.”

“That’s what separates us—we stay close to our clients long after implementation. They help us evolve, and in return, we deliver AI that adapts to their future needs”, Dan explains.

4. How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

Dan points out that the key to staying ahead is to keep solving real problems. “You can have the most cutting-edge technology, but if it’s not solving a meaningful problem, it’s just noise,” he says. Xaana’s strategy is built on staying close to its clients. “They’re not shy about telling us what’s not working, and that’s where the real innovation happens. We don’t follow trends—we listen to the challenges our customers face, and that drives us to push the AI forward to relearn.”

Dan emphasises that hands-on involvement is crucial. “You can’t delegate innovation. I still spend time deep inside code because that’s where the breakthroughs happen. When you’re deep in tech, that’s when you start to see new possibilities.”

5. What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced in your role? How did you overcome it?

Dan admits that the toughest challenge was building an AI company in a place where there wasn’t one. “When I started Xaana.Ai, there wasn’t an AI community in Canberra, or really, much in Australia,” he recalls. “We had to build everything from scratch—there was no one to guide us.”

The hardest part wasn’t building the technology—that’s something Dan and his team at Xaana.Ai always enjoys. The challenge was making people see its value before they realised they needed it. “Sometimes, you’re ahead of the curve, and the market isn’t ready for what you’re offering. It took a lot of patience. We took things one step at a time, solving one problem at a time, and slowly, we built the foundation for what Turium is today”. Now, Xaana.Ai is a trusted partner to industries that need reliability, security, and innovation—and that’s because they never wavered in their commitment to solving the hardest problems.

6. What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?

Dan’s vision for the future is clear: “We’re not just building AI for enterprises anymore. In the next year, we’re taking it global, and more importantly, into the hands of everyday users.” He’s focused on transforming how AI is used, not just by big corporations but by anyone who needs fast, accurate information. “That’s why we’re launching Turium Zebra AI Stripes. Think of it like a reporting platform where you can generate any type of report by simply connecting or uploading your knowledge base and asking it what you need. No coding, no complexity. It’s for small business owners, freelancers, or anyone who needs insights at their fingertips. It’s democratising AI reporting for everyone.”

And that’s just one part of the vision. “We’re also working on Turium Zebra AI Communications, which is currently in beta release and is going to be the safest, most secure communication platform driven by quantum AI. Privacy and security are more important than ever, and we want to give people a way to communicate without worrying about scams and breaches. Whether it’s for enterprises, governments, or even individual users, this will change how we think about secure communication.”

But Dan’s plans don't stop on Earth. “We’re testing quantum encryption models now and are planning to launch quantum AI payloads into space. It sounds scary, but it’s the future of secure communication. We’re talking real-time, secure AI-driven comms that go beyond what’s possible today. This is where the industry will go, and we want to lead the charge.”

To close, Dan shared his thoughts on the recognition: “It’s amazing to see us named as a finalist in two categories at the Australian AI Awards 2024. Xaana.Ai being up for AI Innovator in Information Technology, and personally in the AI Leader category, means a lot. It’s proof that what we’ve built with Turium Zebra, Australia’s first language model, is working. For a while, people called us Australia’s best-kept secret, but now the world is starting to notice.”