Automate and Innovate: Ayming Reveals Enterpise AI Use Areas
In just under two years since the explosion of systems like ChatGTP and the subsequent widespread adoption of Gen AI, a report by consultancy Ayming reveals 84% of businesses believe AI is benefiting them.
“The development of AI has been driven – and dominated – by mega-cap tech giants like Microsoft and Google but the launch of accessible models like ChatGPT have partly served to democratise access to AI,” explains Njy Rios, Director of R&D Incentives at Ayming.
Surveying 1,227 execs from 17 major economies, the findings from the sixth annual International Innovation Barometer, which alongside beliefs, paints a vivid picture of AI's transformative impact on key areas like corporate creativity and collaboration.
AI adoption entrenched
The report's findings show a remarkable 86% of global businesses now allocate a specific budget for R&D into AI, with 47% devoting between 6% and 20% of their innovation budget to AI research and development.
Even more striking, almost a quarter 22% are investing over 20% of their budget in AI-related R&D.
This financial commitment is mirrored by structural changes within organisations. 41% of businesses have already restructured their R&D teams to better integrate AI into their innovation processes, a figure that rises to 52% among larger companies.
"The barrier to entry has been lowered, and now businesses of all sizes can integrate AI into their operations without developing their own systems from scratch,” says Njy.
These findings align with a recent Gartner survey, which found that 55% of organisations that have previously deployed AI now consider it for every new use case they evaluate. This "AI-first" approach is becoming a hallmark of business success, with Gartner suggesting that companies investing more in AI tend to achieve better business ROI metrics and quickly become 'AI-mature organisations'.
However, this embrace of AI comes with its own set of challenges. The Gartner survey revealed that 52% of organisations consider risk factors as a critical consideration when evaluating AI use cases. AI-mature organisations are 3.8 times more likely to involve legal experts at the ideation phase of an AI project's lifecycle, indicating a more holistic and cautious approach to AI implementation.
Innovation as well as automation
The accessibility of AI tools has indeed democratised innovation. Models like ChatGPT have opened up possibilities for companies that previously lacked the resources to develop proprietary AI systems.
"We can expect to see competitive advantage shift from those that own AI technology towards those applying it most effectively," explains Njy.
Interestingly, the Ayming report reveals a nuanced approach to AI utilisation. Rather than merely automating processes, businesses are increasingly leveraging AI's potential for idea generation and comprehensive analysis.
A notable 53% of businesses are using AI to analyse data supporting innovation, while 43% employ it to predict new trends, and 39% to generate fresh ideas. This trend suggests a growing recognition of AI as a tool for enhancing human creativity rather than replacing it.
As businesses continue to integrate AI into their innovation processes, the potential for accelerated development is immense. Njy predicts that Ayming expect is the timescale of the innovation lifecycle, from ideation to output, to radically reduce: “This acceleration could lead to a future where "innovation can be done faster, and investment can go further."
Yet, amidst this technological revolution, the human element remains crucial, "The future of AI will be shaped by hybrid models where human creativity and original thinking is optimised by AI's analytical power,” he says. “The latter enhancing rather than replacing the former."
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