A recent research study by Accenture shows that the majority of organizations utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) are only experimenting with the technology, creating significant opportunities for companies to grow in their use of AI as capabilities continue to evolve.
The authors of “The Art of AI Maturity: Advancing from Practice to Performance” extensively studied approximately 1,200 global companies and surveyed 1,615 executives, concluding that roughly 12% of the organizations have advanced their AI maturity enough to achieve superior competitive advantage and business transformation, dubbing them “AI Achievers.” The report goes on to categorize a further 13% of firms as “AI Innovators” that are somewhat advanced in their level of AI maturity, 12% as “AI Builders” actively developing their AI capabilities, and the remaining 63% as “AI Experimenters” mostly trying out, but not heavily deploying, the tech.
The study’s findings demonstrate that AI Achievers are defined by their ability to combine strengths across the entire organization, with top organizations having leadership that champions AI as a strategic priority, investing heavily in talent to make the most of AI, industrializing AI tools and teams to create a strong core, building ethical decision making into the technology from the beginning, and prioritizing both long and short-term AI investments.
“Adopting AI at scale and embedding it deeper in all aspects of business is no longer a choice, but a necessity and opportunity facing every industry, organization, and leader,” said Sanjeev Vohra, Global Lead for Applied Intelligence at Accenture. “While the science of AI is ground-breaking and inspiring, harnessing it fully is an art that leaders must continually practice. Our report provides actionable recommendations for how to advance AI maturity to join the ranks of the AI Achievers.”
With the growth and impact of AI in business accelerating across all industries, Accenture projects that tech firms will see their AI maturity level rising moderately in the next two years, with carmakers and suppliers nearly doubling their AI growth, and retail companies showing a similar level of adoption and development. As organizations continue to leverage machine learning and AI technology, those that treat it like a crucial part of their strategic growth are likely to become AI Achievers, enjoying the competitive benefits and opportunities it brings.
