More than 24% of the world's IT giants have increased their investment in artificial intelligence, according to a Gartner survey of 200 business managers and IT professionals. In 42% of businesses, the funds invested in this direction remain at the same level. The companies point to improving customer service and retention, as well as increasing revenue and cost optimization, as key priorities for current artificial intelligence initiatives.
Over the next six months, 75% of organizations surveyed plan to continue their existing or launch new artificial intelligence initiatives until they enter the refresh phase. According to analysts, this means that investments in artificial intelligence companies continue despite the crisis, commented Milen Ganev, a partner in the Bulgarian software company E-CARD, which is in the top 50 of Europe.
At the same time, the biggest difficulty that hinders the implementation of such projects in production is the inability to assess in advance the real benefits for business. About 79% of respondents say that artificial intelligence projects are in a research or pilot phase in their organizations, and only 21% - that they use AI in "working mode".
Artificial intelligence is beginning to bring real value to business, Milen Ganev explained. According to him, such systems are very helpful during a pandemic: chatbots answer questions related to the disease; computer vision systems help maintain social distance, machine learning models are actively used to predict the effects of different scenarios for restarting economies in a number of countries.
The updated Gartner curve includes five new AI-related items. These are: small data - data whose volume is small enough for a person to understand them; generative AI - software systems capable of creating new content based on existing content; composite AI - machine learning systems optimized through a combination of best practices; responsible AI - methods and tools for ensuring compliance with ethics and transparency in the operation of AI systems; things as Customers - systems that can independently choose products and make purchases.
As the use of such systems increases, companies need to expand their talent pool. The teams that build artificial intelligence solutions include data researchers, engineers and developers, explained Milen Ganev from E-CARD.
Data researchers are looking for models and design models, and engineers are ensuring the stability, reliability and safety of the first mechanisms, which in the future allows the construction of larger systems. The tools that simplify and speed up the implementation of such systems are called in the hype cycle "AI developer and teaching kits".
With industrialization, the range of applications for AI platforms is expanding, and their scalability and security are growing. According to a Gartner study, AI projects in industrial enterprises are often led by top managers: for example, almost 30% of initiatives are led by CEOs. This contributes to the accelerated implementation of the systems, including through faster and more operational financing.
However, the need for lifelong learning to address the challenges arising from the increased penetration of AI in various fields, especially those related to security is emphasized, said Milen Ganev. One example of such a problem today is the active development of the practice of making "deep fakes" - computer-generated realistic videos featuring celebrities and more.