Gen-AI set to be lead driver of business decisions by 2025

Following a new independent research study, Stratio BD reveals that three in four (75%) IT decision-makers are expecting to increase their use of Gen-AI tools in the next 12 months, with a third (33%) stating that the technology will become the most important source of insight for business decision-making.

Seeking to understand the current status of Gen-AI adoption across a variety of global markets, Stratio BD surveyed data and IT decision-makers across the UK, Spain and LATAM to map the extent to which Gen-AI is understood and has been implemented within corporate systems. These findings highlight the pace at which Gen-AI tools are delivering value to organisations throughout the world, and just how swiftly their benefits are being recognised by the organisations which have quickly realised the potential for their integration.

The international research found that over a quarter of respondents plan to integrate Gen-AI into their core business processes within the next six months, while a third of decision-makers believe their roles will be fully integrated with the technology in the next year.

Stratio BD’s research also demonstrates that data and business leaders are actively enthusiastic about its transformative power for business deployment. Over three quarters of those surveyed said they have a clear view of what the technology could achieve for their organisation, while two thirds agreed that senior leadership were as informed as they could be with respect to how Gen-AI could help their business thrive.

This enthusiasm is further reflected in three-quarters (75%) of respondents feeling excited about the increased use of the technology within their organisation, dispelling the myth that Gen-AI is a threat on employees’ jobs. In addition, two fifths of the professionals believe that Gen-AI will in fact create more time to focus on other areas of strategic focus within their organisation.

Even in the face of this enthusiasm and initial adoption, the survey findings also highlight that active implementation is still lagging behind organisational understanding of the technology. Only 29% reported that Gen-AI has already been implemented into their organisation’s core processes, while over one in ten (11%) of IT decision-makers reported that the business is either trialing Gen-AI but has no plans to implement it on an organisation-wide level, or that their businesses have no plans to implement Gen-AI whatsoever.

Óscar Méndez, CEO and Founder of Stratio BD, says: “This disconnect between organisational understanding of Gen-AI and its active implementation shows that businesses are not yet fully accessing the true benefits of Gen-AI. Our research finds that almost all of those surveyed (99%) agree that organisations are actively missing out on opportunities by not using Gen-AI, particularly surrounding automation (63%), generating new ideas (59%) and optimising operations (52%). This could represent a significant competitive advantage, which business’ competitors may be swift to exploit.”

One of the standout areas highlighted by the survey was Gen-AI's demonstrable ability to enhance business results from interrogating internal data, particularly when it comes to time savings. For example, three-fifths of those not using Gen-AI were satisfied with the time taken to complete data queries, while nearly everyone (92%) using Gen-AI were either very satisfied or satisfied on this front.

Likewise, lingering concerns over security and accuracy are still hampering the implementation of Gen-AI. Questions over whether the data produced by Gen-AI is accurate enough to inform decision-making was the most frequently (38%) listed obstacle to implementation, followed by concerns over data quality and accessibility (31%) and concerns over bias and privacy (28%).

Méndez continues: “These lingering worries over privacy and security remain despite the leaps forward which AI technology has recently made in tackling these issues. While concerns persist regarding data accuracy and quality for informed decision-making, our findings underscore the business imperatives for enterprise-level solutions that ensure the precision and security of Gen-AI generated data. Those responsible for AI and data insights within their organisations are very aware that without such measures, the transformative potential of this technology to feed business success will remain unrealised.

"Stratio BD is at the forefront of this revolution. Not only does our Gen-AI product enable businesses to capitalise on the efficiency advantages of Gen-AI, but it also ensures that the data produced by Gen-AI is accurate and can be trusted to inform decision-making. The only obstacle that remains for business leaders when it comes to capitalising on the Gen-AI boom is the boundaries of their collective imaginations.”