Manila, Philippines – As businesses increasingly leverage AI for key automation processes, a recent report by IBM revealed that nearly half of large-scale enterprises have already adopted AI into their business operations.
In this report, 59% were early adopters, noting present uses of AI to accelerate and expand their investments in the said technology. It also showed the adoption of AI among surveyed companies was driven by user-friendly AI tools and the imperative to cut costs and streamline processes.
In particular, 45% emphasised that advancements in AI tools have made them more accessible, while 42% highlighted the need to reduce costs and automate essential processes. 37% also pointed to the increasing integration of AI into standard off-the-shelf business applications.
On the other hand, IT professionals indicated that the shift is propelled by significant advancements in AI in recent years centred on solutions that are simpler to implement (43%), and the increasing prevalence of skills in data, AI, and automation (42%).
Furthermore, challenges in the adoption of AI still persist, encompassing problems in recruiting personnel, managing data, and addressing concerns.
Specifically, these prominent barriers include 33% stating limited AI skills and expertise, 25% excessive data complexity, 23% ethical concerns, 22% integration and scalability challenges with AI projects, 21% high costs, and 21% deficiency of tools for AI model development.
Moreover, generative AI introduces distinct barriers compared to traditional AI models, with the primary inhibitors identified by IT professionals at surveyed organisations not exploring or implementing generative AI being concerns over data privacy (57%), and issues related to trust and transparency (43%). 35% also note a significant inhibition due to a lack of skills for implementation.
Meanwhile, as IT professionals acknowledge the necessity for reliable and regulated AI, barriers hinder companies from effectively implementing it.
To note, 85% of IT professionals are largely in agreement that consumers are more likely to choose services from companies with transparent and ethical AI practices, and 83% of them say being able to explain how their AI reached a decision is important to their business.
Less than half of them also report that 27% are taking key steps towards trustworthy AI, like reducing bias, 37% are tracking data provenance, 41% are making sure they can explain the decisions of their AI models, and 44% are developing ethical AI policies.
Speaking about the report, Rob Thomas, senior vice president at IBM Software, shared, “We’re seeing that the early adopters who overcame barriers to deploy AI are making further investments, proving to me that they are already experiencing the benefits from AI. More accessible AI tools, the drive for automation of key processes, and increasing amounts of AI embedded into off-the-shelf business applications are top factors driving the expansion of AI at the enterprise level.”
“We see organisations leveraging AI for use cases where I believe the technology can most quickly have a profound impact, like IT automation, digital labour, and customer care. For the 40% of companies surveyed stuck in the sandbox, I am confident 2024 will be the year of tackling and overcoming barriers to entry like the skills gap and data complexity,” concluded Rob.
