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The State and Sentiment of Enterprise Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is transforming enterprise capabilities, but it is not without its issues. Verdict AI looks at the key findings from some of the most significant recent surveys and research to find out how AI is being approached by business

Invest in AI or lose out, say IT decision makers

Investment in AI now is vital to maintaining competitiveness in the future, according to a survey of senior decision makers working in IT by Feefo, which was published in April.

“Failure to Adopt AI Would Lead to a Loss of Competitiveness”

Furthermore, such professionals have an almost entirely positive view of the potential impact on the technology when it comes to customer engagement.

“AI Will be Positive in its Effect on My Organisation’s Customer Engagement”

Chatbots and intelligent assistants seeing significant enterprise adoption

Two of the most prominent AI technologies being embraced by enterprise are chatbots and intelligent assistants. According to research by Spiceworks, published in April, a significant minority of businesses across North America and Europe are either already using or planning to use intelligent assistants or chatbots by 2019.

Intelligent Assistant / Chatbot Adoption by Company Size

Perhaps more surprising is the providers that are seeing the widest adoption. While Microsoft’s Cortana – installed on all Windows 10 devices – has failed to garner much enthusiasm among consumers, in business it is the most popular product in this space.

Intelligent Assistant / Chatbot Implementation Plans in Organisations

When it comes to who is using chatbots or intelligent assistants, it is no surprise that IT departments are currently the biggest adopters, but it is clear that the technology is seeing growing support in other departments.

Departments Utilising Intelligent Assistants / Chatbots to Support Their Tasks

However, when it comes to the tasks currently being automated by these technologies, the range is already significant, with voice dictation leading but a host of administrative tasks also seeing considerable use.

Most Common Tasks Supported by Intelligent Assistants / Chatbots in Organisations

AI job loss fears: not as significant as thought

Despite headline-grabbing revelations about the number of jobs set to be replaced by AI and automation, employees are not as concerned about the issue as might be thought. A Gallup poll of workers in the US, conducted between September and October of 2017 and published in February of this year, found that less than a quarter were very or somewhat worried about losing their jobs to automation, robots or AI, with the percentage even lower among white collar workers or those with higher education.

How worried are you about your job being eliminated as a result of new technology, automation, robots, or artificial intelligence?

The developer view of AI: excitement with a side-order of concern

For the most part, professional software developers are optimistic about the potential of AI, which is good news for businesses hoping to focus more on the technology. However, there are also some concerns. In an exhaustive survey by leading online developer community Stack Overflow, published in March, developers were split over the biggest concerns around the technology, but expressed excitement over the potential for job automation.

What Do Developers Think Is Dangerous and Exciting About AI?

However, despite the importance of industry leaders in the implementation of AI, developers believe they take primary responsibility for ensuring that AI’s impact is a positive one.

Who is Primarily Responsible for Considering the Ramifications of AI?

Despite concerns, however, developers are excited about the prospects of the technology.

How Do Developers Feel About the Future of AI?

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