Organisations using generative AI to drive businesses have grown significantly since March–April, according to a poll conducted by research and consulting firm Gartner.
In a recent poll of more than 1,400 executive leaders conducted by Gartner, 45% reported that they are in piloting mode with generative artificial intelligence, and another 10% have put generative AI solutions into production.
This is significantly higher than a Gartner poll conducted in March and April 2023, in which 15% of respondents were piloting generative AI and 4% had put generative AI solutions into production.
“Organisations are not just talking about generative AI—they’re investing time, money, and resources to move it forward and drive business outcomes. Generative AI is now on CEOs’ and boards’ agendas as they seek to take advantage of the transformative potential of this technology,” said Frances Karamouzis, research vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
Executives Believe Generative AI Investments Outweigh Risks
In the poll, 78% of respondents believed that the benefits of generative AI outweigh its risks. In the earlier poll, 68% had reported this sentiment.
“Executives are taking a bolder stance on generative AI, as they see the profound ways that it can drive innovation, optimisation and disruption. Business and IT leaders understand that the ‘wait and see’ approach is riskier than investing,” said Karamouzis.
Enterprises Scaling Generative AI Investments Across Functions
The poll found that 45% of enterprises are scaling generative AI investments across multiple business functions, with 22% scaling across more than three different functions. Software development is the function with the highest rate of adoption or investment in generative AI (21%), followed by marketing (19%) and customer service (16%).
Growth initiatives were cited as the primary business focus of generative AI investments by 30% of respondents, followed by cost optimisation (26%) and customer experience/retention (24%).
“Many organisations began their AI journey with an overemphasis on cost optimisation and efficiency. Savvy enterprises have moved beyond this to focus initiatives on efficacy, quantifiable value and business agility in products and services,” said Karamouzis.
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