Generative AI is pushing AI technology into the enterprise mainstream, according to a just-released survey of senior executives. Credit: thinkstock CIOs are increasing their overall uptake of generative AI, pushing AI from its current role in isolated pockets of the enterprise into more organization-wide uptake and speeding the adoption of the technology across new industries, a new survey found. The survey, published today by MIT Technology Review Insights and sponsored by enterprise data management company Databricks, polled 600 “senior data and technology executives.” It predicted that just about every industry will eventually find a use for generative AI in the near future. Retailers could use the technology for scheduling and installation of heavier goods, manufacturers could use it as a virtual “co-pilot” for service and repair technicians, and media outlets could use it to write articles and headlines. (Note: This article was written without AI assistance.) Furthermore, there’s now more of an expectation that the advent of generative AI will improve existing business AI use cases. Chatbots for customer and employee support, for example, are likely to be improved by wider uptake of generative AI, as well as business transformation efforts around unifying data stores and similar. CIOs generally think that AI has already proved a wise investment in certain areas of business, most notably the “democratization” of data (referring to internal and external data sharing), at 32% of those polled, and AI-powered business intelligence and analytics, also at 32%. Those CIOs are also bullish on the effect of AI on the workforce, according to the report, viewing the technology as a way to help workers do their jobs, rather than a threat to the existence of those jobs. AI should be thought of as a co-pilot, rather than a rival, to human workers, according to Matei Zaharia, co-founder and CTO of Databricks, who was quoted in the report. “I don’t think they’ll be able to do extremely complicated work that requires a lot of planning fully automatically,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anyone whose job is just the super-simple stuff that can be done by a language model.” AI tools aren’t without risks, as most responses to the survey acknowledged. Privacy issues, intellectual property protection and the still-changing legal rules around AI development and use are all considerations that would-be business users of generative AI must address. “CIOs would be reckless to adopt AI tools without managing their risks,” the report said. “[these range] from bias to copyright infringement to privacy and security breaches.” Related content brandpost Sponsored by Tangoe Microsoft 365: Cutting costs is hard…here's how to make it easy What you’ll need to downsize subscription costs without impacting functionality—learn more today. By Mark Troller, CIO, Tangoe Jun 03, 2024 5 mins SaaS Cloud Computing brandpost Sponsored by Tangoe Want to save more than 20% on cloud? Research shows you how… Study reveals how successful FinOps programs more than double their savings. Learn more today. By Chris Ortbals, Chief Product Officer, Tangoe Jun 03, 2024 6 mins Cloud Computing brandpost Sponsored by Tangoe Managing cloud costs: Study says do this and you’ll spend 5X less Unveiling the cloud cost conundrum: Exploring the surprising 5X difference in IT expense management strategies. By Mark Troller, CIO, Tangoe Jun 03, 2024 6 mins Cloud Computing brandpost Sponsored by Tangoe 57% use native tools for FinOps but analysts say that’s a problem When convenience gets in the way of results, consider these solutions. By Chris Ortbals, Chief Product Officer, Tangoe Jun 03, 2024 6 mins Cloud Computing PODCASTS VIDEOS RESOURCES EVENTS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe