Research from Alteryx and Advania has underlined the growing gap between ambition and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI).
Both firms have shared findings that underline customers’ interest in the technology, but also the issues that are continuing to hold back wider adoption.
AI analytics specialist Alteryx has been digging into the reasons why the enterprise adoption of artificial intelligence might be hindered.
The firm’s From AI ambition to impact report found there is an appetite for AI technology among customers, but that many were struggling to move beyond the pilot phase into wider deployment phases.
The research identified a number of reasons why that is happening. These include a lack of trust, poor data quality and challenges navigating through legacy systems. The net result of those challenges is that fewer than a quarter of AI pilots make it into full production.
“AI adoption is accelerating fast. Our research shows that compared to a year ago, two-thirds of business and IT leaders are using AI more in their roles. We’re also seeing AI move closer to individual departments,” said Andy MacMillan, CEO of Alteryx.
“Over the next three years, leaders expect responsibility for AI workflows to shift to specific lines of business, rising from 22% today to 33% by 2028. The most advanced organisations are doubling down on improving data quality and integrating AI across their operations,” he added.
AI adoption is accelerating fast. Compared to a year ago, two-thirds of business and IT leaders are using AI more
Andy MacMillan, Alteryx
The Alteryx report found that almost half of respondents were happy to let AI automate repetitive tasks and monitor systems, but those levels of trust decreased when it came to allowing the technology to help with strategic decision-making, particularly around mission-critical applications.
Cisco has been using its Live conference this week to trumpet a range of AI product enhancements, but to also underline to partners that trust is a key issue the industry must tackle.
“One of the deficits that we have in deploying AI, one thing that bothers us, is trust – where there’s trust in what’s going to happen to my data, trust in the models, trust in your infrastructure, trust in the agents, trust in the partners you’re working with,” said Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins at the vendor’s AI Summit last week.
As well as trust, the Alteryx research pointed to poor data quality as a factor that is undermining the shift from pilot to wider production. IT leaders complained of not getting access to well-governed data. There were also questions around workflows and where the responsibility for AI lay as organisations move from centralised to departmental teams.
Despite those blocks on progress, the report emphasised the determination of customers to invest in AI, with just shy of half of IT leaders surveyed expecting to increase spending on infrastructure and tools.
Separately, Advania has been sharing the AI findings from its Building core resilience research, which looked at what’s happening across European mid-market customers.
We see the benefits of AI adoption in terms of time saved and customer satisfaction on a daily basis. IT leaders are confident that there is more to be gained than feared from AI
Chris O’Brien, Advania UK
Adding to the sense of a strong customer appetite for AI, the firm found that 71% of IT leaders viewed the technology as overwhelmingly positive.
Customers said they were using AI to improve security, customer experience and productivity. Nearly half of respondents indicated that improving user satisfaction was their main measure of AI’s benefits.
While there were concerns around technical debt and dealing with increased complexity, in the main, the attitude towards AI was positive.
“This survey shows that while the media focus with AI is often on big tech and concerns from the general public, mid-market organisations have seized the day. At Advania, we see the benefits of AI adoption in terms of time saved and customer satisfaction on a daily basis. IT leaders are confident that there is more to be gained than feared from AI,” said Chris O’Brien, CTO of Advania UK.
“That said, many tech leaders see a clear gap between the potential for AI and what it is delivering today. Our goal is to close that gap for every customer we work with,” he added.
