Think Generative AI Adoption Is In The Future? Think Again!
By Betsy Burton
Think Generative AI Adoption Is In The Future? Think Again!
Recently, I’ve engaged in discussions with several technology leaders, and it’s become apparent that many believe the adoption of Generative AI within their organizations will be sluggish.
They argue that the use of it at an enterprise level isn’t mature enough and that people may be cautious about embracing it.
On the other hand, during a conversation with a tech-savvy 20-something, I inquired about their use of tools like ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard. They responded, “Of course, I’m using Generative AI. Everyone’s using it.”
This encounter revealed a striking disconnect between the perceptions of business and technology executives and the actual adoption of Generative AI by everyday users.
The Diverse Adoption Across Industries, Regions, and Seniority
This disconnect led me to delve into the real-world usage of Generative AI. While there are reports from various providers like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google, I was uncertain if these numbers truly represented how users were integrating Generative AI into their work.
Then, I stumbled upon a chart in a report by McKinsey and Company titled “The State of AI 2023: Generative AI’s Breakout Year.”
Figure 1: Respondents across regions, industries, and seniority levels (n=1,684)
What struck me as particularly interesting about this chart was its exploration of Generative AI usage for work, both within and outside of work.
Notably, the adoption differs by industry, but the use of Generative AI outside of work remains relatively consistent across industries, ranging from 12% to 18% of respondents.
Industry-Specific Usage: Your Users Embrace Generative AI
Unsurprisingly, the technology, media, and telecom sectors reported the highest regular use of Generative AI for work and personal purposes.
However, financial services had a lower rate of regular use for work (8%). Yet, a significant percentage of financial services professionals are leveraging Generative AI for both work and personal use (16%), with an even larger number of respondents using it exclusively outside of work (18%).
A similar pattern, although less pronounced, can be observed in advanced industries, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and energy and materials.
Total Use of Generative AI
In total, the regular use of Generative AI for work, work and outside work and outside work, are significantly high. Across Industries, at least 30+% of your users are regularly using AI.
| Regular Use Of Generative AI | |
| Advanced Industries | 32% |
| Business, Legal & Professional Services | 36% |
| Consumer Good and Retail | 30% |
| Energy & Material | 29% |
| Financial Services | 42% |
| Healthcare, Pharma & Medical Products | 33% |
| Technology, Media & Telecomm | 50% |
Bottom Line
For all business and technology leaders, the message is clear: Generative AI is making its way into your organization, either through enterprise applications, workplace tools, or direct user adoption. A substantial portion of this adoption comes from users incorporating it into their lives beyond the workplace.
If you hold a position such as CIO, CEO, COO, or business leader and believe that intelligence won’t impact your organization, it’s time to reconsider.
Your users are already embracing Generative AI, whether under your direct control or not. It’s essential to define your strategic vision for its use and establish the necessary architectural guidance, including governance, metrics, policies, and principles, to help your users know when and when not to leverage Generative AI.
See the Future of Unified Communications and Collaboration with CEO and Lead Analyst Jim Lundy!
Airing LIVE on Thursday, November 16th at 10 AM PT | 1 PM ET
The Future of Communications and Collaboration
The second largest market in enterprise software is Communications and Collaboration. With a growing focus on AI and on enabling users to do video, voice or messaging based interactions, Communications and Collaboration is poised for the most change as Video becomes pervasive and messaging takes over from email.
Join Aragon Research’s Founder and CEO, Jim Lundy, on Thursday, November 16th, 2023 as he talks about what the future of UC&C looks like.
Key issues being covered include:
- What are the trends driving the evolution of Communications and Collaboration?
- How will AI and CoPilots make communication and collaboration more efficient?
- How can enterprises stay ahead of and take advantage of all of the innovation that is coming from Providers?
Catch up on the NEW Blog Series by VP of Research, Betsy Burton!
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