Insight Enterprises and The Harris Poll released a new report, indicating that 66 percent of business leaders have deployed private, secure, generative AI tools, while 65 percent say that their department has been tasked to identify use cases for them.
Among the benefits to employing generative AI initiatives are:
- 54 percent reporting improved productivity.
- 42 percent citing improved CX and 40 percent increased customer service.
- 37 percent reducing human error.
Still, the survey noted that “employee knowledge” and “training” on generative AI tools remained a top barrier to implementation, at 32 percent.
The research – which presented a follow-up to its June 2023 report: “Beyond Hypotheticals: Understanding the Real Possibilities of Generative AI,” is designed to garner the latest insights on how 600 director level or above professionals at companies with 1,000+ employees are exploring generative AI technologies.
“It’s remarkable that most IT budgets did not even anticipate generative AI a year and a half ago. But now, as we enter 2024, just about every business leader is fixated on how this technology can reinvent their operations and create new business models,” said David McCurdy, Chief Enterprise Architect and CTO, Insight. “That said, there’s a certain ‘finesse’ that many employees still need to acquire in order to effectively leverage generative AI in their work. As we shift gears into the next phase of adoption, advanced training will be crucial to success.”
Further findings included:
• Generative AI is used frequently in day-to-day work, with 74 percent using the tools for data analysis and validation; 66 percent for task collaboration; 63 percent to generate written content and 62 percent to assist with personalized learning.
• Deeper applications to improve the business also are being readily explored, with 59 percent reporting using generative AI for product design and development, 52 percent for software development.
• A majority of leaders from across the business have been tasked with helping their company define the return on investment of implementing generative AI, particularly delineating how to improve customer satisfaction (65 percent), enhance service availability (60 percent), reduce operational costs (57 percent) and augment staff to improve productivity (56 percent).
• Security concerns remain top of mind for business leaders when it comes to generative AI, with 38 percent calling it as a “top barrier.”
•15 percent consider costs of implementation — including technical debt due to outdated technical infrastructure, initial financial investment and ongoing maintenance costs — as hurdles for their organization.
“There’s a lot of exuberance in the market,” said Carm Taglienti, Chief Data Officer, Insight’s solutions business. “We have seen companies move quickly to try to capitalize on this technology. However, as exciting as these developments are, adoption is happening at a mostly surface level. It’s being viewed through rose-colored glasses without enough attention being paid to data readiness or continuous training and upskilling at all levels of the organizations.”
Research was conducted online in the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Insight Enterprises, among 601 adults (25+) who are employed full-time as a Director or higher at a company with 1,000+ employees. The survey was conducted from Oct. 17-27, 2023.
To learn how to realize the full value of generative AI, visit insight.com/generativeAI.
