Are Businesses Ready for the Next Phase of AI Implementation?

Organizations view AI as a valuable tool for business, but data quality, security, and readiness present significant implementation challenges.

Enterprises are poised to take their use of artificial intelligence to the next level, building on initial forays into AI that have mostly focused on improving operational efficiencies. The question is: Are they as ready as they think they are?

A global survey released earlier this month from Riverbed, which was conducted by Coleman Parkes Research, found strong belief in the ability of AI adoption to drive exceptional business performance, with 94% of the 1,200 IT, business and public sector decision-makers surveyed saying that AI is a top focus of their C-Suite.

Although 82% of respondents say they believe their own organization is ahead of industry peers in AI adoption, only 37% are prepared right now to implement AI. The survey found several impediments to AI adoption, including security issues, the quality and suitability of data used to train AI models, and companies’ ability to effectively implement solutions.

Organizations can overcome the challenges involved in shifting AI adoption into the next gear, but if they are to achieve the transformative potential of AI, they need to understand their own abilities and current shortcomings to recognize the factors that will influence how well AI is used in business decisions.

Concerns Over Data Quality, Security, Network Readiness Hinder Progress

Despite genuine enthusiasm over the possibilities of AI, the survey revealed several factors that need to be addressed.

Overconfident Perceptions. Organizations represented in the survey have, on average, used AI to some degree for almost four years, and a large majority believe they are ahead of their competition—30% said significantly ahead while 52% said slightly ahead. This indicates a gap in perception about their progress. Organizations need to be realistic about their achievements and clear-eyed about what their competitors are doing. Everybody can’t be winning the same race.[…]