Gen AI seems to have changed business leaders’ expectations about what technology needs to deliver.
The rise of generative AI (Gen AI) should be enhancing IT services, but instead, it has heightened dissatisfaction among business leaders. A study by IBM’s Institute for Business Value reveals that top executives’ confidence in IT’s effectiveness has plummeted over the past decade, with only 47% of business leaders considering IT effective, down from 69% in 2013.
The report highlights that business expectations have surged, with leaders increasingly relying on IT for a competitive edge. However, concerns over whether current infrastructure can support Gen AI are growing, with 43% of business leaders expressing doubts.
Suggestions the report’s authors offer to improve IT delivery of services to the business include the following:
- Increase diversity: Encourage more women to enter IT and AI fields to bring critical perspectives and enhance trust in AI.
- Address technical debt: Prioritize refactoring legacy systems to ensure AI readiness.
- Leverage AI tools: Use generative AI code assistants to modernize applications and optimize infrastructure for AI.
- Measure impact: Link technology investments to measurable business outcomes for improved performance.
- Align objectives: Focus on shared goals by using common language and storytelling to enhance collaboration between tech and business teams.
- Empower the workforce: Involve employees in defining AI usage and offer reskilling opportunities through AI academies or centres of excellence.
