Survey finds business leaders adapting as enterprise AI moves beyond experimentation

An Infosys report finds artificial intelligence (AI) is in widespread use across enterprises, driving tangible benefits while creating new opportunities and challenges for business leaders and the workforce.

By Infosys January 26, 2018

Infosys released global research on the impact artificial intelligence (AI) technology implementations in the enterprise are having on return on investment (ROI), the workforce, and organizational leadership. The research report, Leadership in the Age of AI, surveyed more than 1,000 business and information technology (IT) leaders with decision-making power over AI solutions or purchases at large organizations across seven countries.

The research findings point to a fundamental shift in how enterprises operate as AI takes hold. Enterprises are moving beyond the experimentation phase with AI, deploying AI technologies more broadly and realizing benefits across their business. According to the survey, 73% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their AI deployments have already transformed the way they do business, and 90% of C-level executives reported measurable benefits from AI within their organization. Additionally, the data showed organizations are taking steps to prepare employees and business leaders for the future of work, with 53% of respondents indicating that their organization has increased training in the job functions most affected by AI deployments.

Key findings include: 

  • Enterprise AI moves beyond experimentation: AI deployments are becoming pervasive as 86% of organizations surveyed have middle- or late-stage AI deployments and view AI as a major facilitator of future business operations. Eighty percent of respondents who said they’ve seen at least some measurable benefits from AI agreed or strongly agreed their organization had a defined strategy for deployment. Fifty-three percent of all respondents said their industry has already experienced disruption due to artificial intelligence technologies.
  • The benefits of AI span the business value chain: While a majority of organizations (66%) start off using AI to automate routine or inefficient processes, businesses in later stages of AI deployment are leveraging the technology to innovate and differentiate. For example, 80% of IT decision makers at organizations in later stages of AI deployment reported that they are using AI to augment existing solutions, or build new business-critical solutions and services to optimize insights and the consumer experience. Forty-two percent of these organizations also expect significant impact in research and development in the next five years.
  • Investing in people is key to AI success: Seventy-seven percent of respondents surveyed were confident that employees in their organization can be trained for the new job roles AI technologies will create. Respondents showed commitment to this belief by ranking training and recruitment as the top areas of investment (46 and 44% respectively) in order for AI technologies to make an impact. C-level executives likewise called out training the leadership team on AI as a top priority-47% of business leaders put leadership training in their top three priorities compared to 40% who put employee training in their top three priorities.
  • AI leadership essentials include strategy and training: Four out of five C-level executives said that their future business strategy will be informed through opportunities made available with AI technology. Business leaders were confident that their executive teams have the ability to adapt their leadership skills as AI technologies are adopted, with 80% of C-level executives in agreement. However, training on the executive level is still critical as three-fourths of IT decision makers felt that their executives would benefit from formal training on the implications of AI technologies.
  • Data management is a persistent obstacle: Nearly half of IT decision makers (49%) reported that their organization is unable to deploy the AI technologies they want because their data is not ready to support the requirements of AI technologies. As such, 77% of IT decision makers said that their organization is investing in data management. Furthermore, C-level executives reported that their leadership team is concerned with the implications of industry regulations on their ability to use AI technologies within their business (70%) and the potential advantages AI technologies could lend to competition (66%).

Infosys

www.infosys.com 

– Edited from an Infosys press release by CFE Media. See more Control Engineering asset management stories.