AI Drives Competitive Edge With Improved Products, Worker Creativity

Companies are gaining a notable competitive edge through their artificial intelligence (AI) deployments, according to a recent survey from Deloitte. The resulting “State of AI in the Enterprise” report indicates that AI is leading to improved products and, in many cases, a more creative workforce. However, there are hurdles to overcome—including integration issues, data-related difficulties and cyber-security threats. A total of 1,100 U.S. IT and business executives who are considered “knowledgeable” about and/or are involved with their company’s cognitive technologies/AI investment, deployment and/or strategies took part in the research. The following slide show presents highlights from the survey, with charts provided courtesy of Deloitte.

Nearly three of five survey respondents said their company acquires AI through enterprise software, and 53 percent do so by co-developing AI with partners. Nearly one-half acquire AI via both the cloud and open-source development tools.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said AI has helped them get at least “slightly” ahead of their competitors. And 37 percent said it’s even helped them “widen” their lead, if not “leapfrog ahead.”

More than one-half of respondents said AI is allowing them to enhance their current products. That’s up from 44 percent who said this a year ago.

Thirty-six percent of respondents said AI is freeing up workers to be more creative. Last year, 31 percent indicated this was the case.

In citing top challenges of AI, nearly two of five respondents listed implementation, integration and data issues. Thirty-six percent cited the cost of solution development.

In citing the top risks of AI, 51 percent of respondents listed cyber-security vulnerabilities. Forty-three percent listed the potential to make the wrong strategic decisions based upon AI tech.

In elaborating upon the cyber-security issues, 32 percent said their organization has experienced a breach due to AI initiatives. Three of 10 said they have delayed an AI initiative to address cyber-security concerns.

In ranking the biggest skill needs for AI, 30 percent of respondents listed AI researchers, and nearly the same percentage cited AI software developers. Nearly a quarter listed data scientists and user experience designers.

In ranking top use cases for AI, 47 percent of respondents listed IT automation. Forty-six percent listed quality control and the detection of defects.

Cyber-security represents another top use case for AI, as cited by 41 percent of respondents. Thirty-eight percent listed predictive analytics.