Mid-market business and IT leaders disagree on AI opportunities
IT and business leaders from UK mid-market organizations have conflicting views on the role of AI in enabling growth and driving productivity, according to new research.
The report from Node4, based on responses from over 600 IT and business leaders across multiple sectors, shows IT leaders rank investment in AI in their top two strategies for improving productivity and efficiency, but it only just makes business leaders' top five.
There's disagreement on how much organizations rely on data too. 48 percent of IT leaders describe their organization as highly data-driven, while just 31 percent of business leaders say the same.
Leadership isn't aligned on how to use AI either. Nearly 40 percent of IT leaders place customer experience as a top focus for AI use and 62 percent cite it as a key driver for AI investment. In contrast, only 29 percent of business leaders feel the same way, making it their lowest-ranked use case.
"It's clear that the mid-market is in flux," says Richard Moseley, CEO of Node4. "We have uncovered many positives and much potential within the mid-market. There is a desire for improvement, growth, and expansion -- and a belief that technology is a key enabler for each. But we have seen areas of overconfidence, complacency, and lack of vision that inhibit the potential of new and existing technology to support these ambitions. This also feeds the productivity gap -- a precarious situation in such uncertain economic conditions."
Only 14 percent of mid-market leaders overall (10 percent Business, 17 percent IT) cite gaining a competitive advantage as a reason to invest in AI. Unclear return on investment is reported as one of the top barriers to AI adoption too. It's cited by 36 percent of respondents and 40 percent of IT leaders.
Moseley adds, "By aligning technology investments with strategic priorities, mid-market organizations can navigate economic uncertainties, drive growth, and achieve competitive
advantage. Our respondents' insights and data analysis provide a roadmap for Business and IT leaders to collaborate effectively, deploy emerging technologies, and build a prosperous future with the potential to power the UK economy and significantly contribute to the country's GDP."
You can get the full report from the Node4 site.
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