The most sobering number in this report on AI deployment: 65 percent. That’s to say, almost two-thirds of companies that made recent substantial AI investments report zero return on it. Doesn’t seem much like the technology of the future, does it? (Unless that future is very expensive, and pointless).
The good news, according to Future Infinitive Partner Vaclav Vincalek, is that AI automation for your company might be very useful… but there’s a big if. Can the CTO and tech people explain the deployment’s benefits, in plain English, to the other stakeholders? If the answer is no, then good strategizing is impossible, and the investment will be sunk.
Read Vaclav Vincalek on aligning AI with other business processes.
“Do the CEO and other non-technical stakeholders understand what outcomes they are hoping to achieve for the business (with or without this new technology)? Do they have a good understanding of how AI might be deployed to help them achieve that objective? Can the CTO explain it in plain English?
‘To ensure a successful roll-out, all of these questions will need to be considered in turn. Otherwise, you’re just adding more technology at great expense, without the ability to really use it,’ Vincalek said.”
The other leaders quoted here are nearly as pessimistic. Is AI “broken for business,” as one of them says? Not really -- and it will improve. But if you want to be among the early adopters of this powerful tool, you might need to improve your business strategy first.