The aviation aftermarket still uses as lot of paper—but that is not going to be the case forever. In this fragmented, global industry where the same companies can compete and cooperate, figuring out how to share and leverage data and technologies within a shared ecosystem is key. Aviation Week Chief Editor MRO Lee Ann Shay talks with Accenture Global A&D Lead John Schmidt and A&D Aftermarket Lead Jon Baker about this and how technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality are already making an impact on MRO—from optimizing inventory and maintenance planning to improving customer service on a technical level.