Despite the global economic turndown, enterprises widely adopted AI in 2023, with generative AI playing a substantial role, according to a survey of CIOs conducted by Everest Group and Yates Ltd.
DALLAS, January 18, 2024 — If chief information officers (CIOs) have their way in 2024, expect to see more enterprises making adoption of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) a strategic priority with an aim to move past small pilots to scaled implementations. This forecast summarizes the sentiments of more than 50 CIOs interviewed by Everest Group in collaboration with Yates Ltd. The survey also revealed that improving the velocity of existing operations is the primary motivation driving enterprise gen AI initiatives.
The interviews conducted with global CIOs between October 23, 2023, and January 24, 2024, also underscore that gen AI is more than a passing trend, having successfully penetrated early enterprise adoption thresholds. Nearly 83% of global enterprises are either actively testing their capabilities through pilot programs or have already adopted gen AI for one or more production-grade use cases.
Key Findings from the Survey:
- Sixty-one percent (61%) of global enterprises are actively exploring and piloting gen AI and 22% have already deployed gen AI for at least one or more processes. Another 15% plan to pilot gen AI soon.
- The three top objectives CIOs are trying to achieve through gen AI are:
- accelerating consumption of existing digital tools
- reducing the latency of knowledge sharing
- shortening the product development lifecycle.
- CIOs identifying their top three challenges to scaling gen AI initiatives most often named lack of clarity on success metrics (73%), budget/cost concerns (68%) and the fast-evolving technology landscape (64%). Additionally, 55% named data security and privacy concerns, while 41% cited talent shortage.
The full report of findings — “Capturing the Generative AI Pulse: An Exploration of the CIO Mindset” — identifies the current state of enterprise generative AI adoption and the key challenges in scaling AI initiatives. The report also showcases three waves of generative AI adoption levels for enterprises and provides guidance to help enterprises advance in their generative AI adoption journey. The full report is available for complimentary download.
“Unquestionably, gen AI hype dominated 2023, but our survey indicates that it is more than a passing trend,” said Abhishek Singh, partner at Everest Group. “Our research clearly documents that most organizations are in what we call ‘Wave 1’ or the pilot phase of gen AI adoption; however, in 2024 and 2025 we fully expect more organizations to advance to the ‘Wave 2’ phase of production-grade deployments.
“Although enterprise adoption of gen AI is far from its anticipated peak, enterprises continue to experiment with unique use cases in a wide variety of industries, ranging from high-tech and financial services to healthcare and retail,” continued Singh. “As more of these initiatives document measurable impact, we’ll see adoption and full-scale implementation of gen AI accelerate considerably.”
Everest Group maintains that this shift from Wave 1 to Wave 2 will demand that enterprise leaders cultivate data-driven cultures and invest in digital and data maturity. Successful transitions will also require a comprehensive approach that incorporates technological advances, organizational readiness and ethical considerations.
“Gen AI is transforming senior executives’ perspectives on efficiency, growth and competitive advantage, and will revolutionize their operational strategies,” stated Charlotte Yates, the founder and CEO of Yates Ltd. She emphasized the need for a forward-thinking blueprint in Wave 2 to effectively implement gen AI use cases: “This blueprint should address a wide range of opportunities, risks, and investments in platforms, operating models, organization design, governance, strategic partnerships and culture.”
About Yates Ltd.
Yates is an IT and business consultancy that partners with senior executives to create the strategy, blueprints, financial mechanisms and execution plans to drive and achieve transformation. Our clients gain measurable cost savings, new capabilities, and the ability to outperform their competition. Our areas of focus include enterprise networks, software, managed services, end user services and automation. Services include strategy, sourcing, program execution, change management, communications and governance. Yates Ltd. is a WBENC-certified woman-owned business.
About Everest Group
Everest Group is a leading research firm helping business leaders make confident decisions. We guide clients through today’s market challenges and strengthen their strategies by applying contextualized problem-solving to their unique situations. This drives maximized operational and financial performance and transformative experiences. Our deep expertise and tenacious research focused on technology, business processes, and engineering through the lenses of talent, sustainability, and sourcing delivers precise and action-oriented guidance. Find further details and in-depth content at www.everestgrp.com.
