AI Adoption in Business: Perceptions and Reality
When incorporated into business operations, AI’s ability to act as an assistant in virtually every aspect of a professional’s workload should increase efficiency. However, many obstacles, including leadership perceptions of the technology, are preventing widespread adoption by organizations.
Accenture’s Research Findings
To better understand how organizations are welcoming AI-related change, Accenture surveyed 3,450 C-suite leaders and 3,000 non-C-suite level employees from organizations worldwide with revenues greater than $500 million.
Expectations vs. Preparedness
According to Accenture’s research report, C-suite leaders anticipate a high level of change in their organizations, with 72% expecting more change in 2025 than in 2024, and 23% expecting the same level. Compared to the expectations for change in 2024, the numbers are slightly lower, with 88% of C-suites in 2024 expecting more change than the year prior.
While a sense of change is palpable, preparedness levels fall short. Across several industries, fewer C-suite leaders reported feeling “very prepared” to respond to changes in their business environment heading into 2025, compared to how they felt in 2024.
Generative AI Investments
A majority (86%) of C-suite leaders feel prepared to up their investment in generative AI in 2025. Similarly, 83% of the leaders claimed their past year’s experience with generative AI has allowed them to see “greater potential for positive business impact,” in the upcoming year, according to the report.
Moreover, a whopping 50% of C-suite leaders see IT as the primary focus of those generative AI investments, followed by engineering, manufacturing, production, and operations (38%), and customer service (29%).
Challenges to Adoption
Despite the perceived benefits, obstacles to adoption remain, with C-suite leaders listing a lack of clarity on ROI (26%) and data or technology infrastructure limitations (28%) as limiting factors.
Disconnect between Leaders and Employees
The disconnect between how leadership and employees perceive the value of implementing generative AI is also a major obstacle; there’s a 20% gap between how C-suite leaders and their employees understand “to a great extent” the potential value of generative AI.
Conclusion
The findings from Accenture’s research highlight the need for organizations to address the disconnect between their expectations and preparedness levels. By providing comprehensive training and clear guidance, organizations can increase employee confidence in using generative AI tools and accelerate adoption.
FAQs
Q: What is the main obstacle to AI adoption in business?
A: According to Accenture’s research, a lack of clarity on ROI and data or technology infrastructure limitations are the main obstacles to AI adoption.
Q: What is generative AI, and how can it benefit business?
A: Generative AI refers to the ability of AI to act as an assistant in virtually every aspect of a professional’s workload, providing assistance in tasks such as coding, bug fixing, malware detection, math calculations, and threat modeling, and optimizing customer service.
Q: What is the disconnect between leadership and employees?
A: The disconnect refers to a 20% gap between how C-suite leaders and their employees understand the potential value of generative AI.
Q: What can organizations do to increase employee confidence in using generative AI tools?
A: Organizations can provide comprehensive training and clear guidance to increase employee confidence in using generative AI tools.
