97 percent of CIOs are deploying or looking at edge AI
New research shows that 97 percent of CIOs have edge AI either already deployed or on their
roadmap, with only three percent reporting no current plans to implement these technologies.
The report from ZEDEDA, based on a survey by Censuswide of over 300 US CIOs, finds 80 percent of CIOs with deployed edge AI solutions use them for customer experience improvements, while nearly as many (77 percent) focus on risk management applications, including predictive maintenance.
Not surprisingly then 90 percent of organizations are increasing their edge AI budgets for 2025, with 30 percent reporting significant increases of 25 percent or more. While improving security and data privacy is the main reason (53 percent) for edge AI investments, security risks and data protection concerns (42 percent) represent the most significant challenge for implementations.
"The findings confirm what we're seeing across industries -- edge AI is no longer just a future
consideration but an essential component of digital transformation strategies today," says Said
Ouissal, CEO and founder of ZEDEDA. "As a natural evolution of edge computing, edge AI
enhances the data processing capabilities already made possible at the edge, enabling
organizations to significantly improve customer experience, operational efficiency, and security in ways that cloud-only approaches cannot match."
The survey finds that 30 percent of organizations have fully deployed AI at the edge, 22 percent are actively in production with limited deployment, and 34 percent are testing with plans to deploy within the next 24 months. This widespread adoption spans industries, with retail (50 percent) and manufacturing (40 percent) leading the way in full deployments.
Customer experience applications currently dominate edge AI implementations, with 80 percent of CIOs deploying edge AI for use cases that enhance the customer experience, like retail store operations, display personalization, and quality control. Risk management applications follow closely at 77 percent, including predictive maintenance, safety compliance, anomaly detection, and physical security.
You can get the full report on the ZEDEDA site.
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