Lack of data, technology readiness limit enterprise AI readiness

Many company executives see artificial intelligence (AI) as the next industrial revolution, eager to integrate it into their enterprise technology stacks, though success has been limited. A report by Infosys that surveyed 1,500 companies globally showed that while AI is viewed as a transformative technology with potential productivity gains of 35-40%, the companies lack the foundational building blocks for successful AI adoption.

As per Infosys’ analysis, only 2% of the organisations are ‘ready’ across the five key areas — talent, strategy, governance, data, and technology. Notably, among the five areas, technology seemed to be most lacking. The survey found that only 9% of the respondents demonstrated readiness in this dimension including critical AI capabilities such as machine learning framework, prebuilt algorithm, and dynamic compute, along with automation within software development teams.

“The goal is to identify ways to accelerate AI scaling within enterprises, pinpointing roadblocks and strategies to overcome them. Through our surveys, we validated key hypotheses, uncovering some new quantitative insights. For instance, only 2% of enterprises reported readiness across all five dimensions — strategy, data, technology, talent, and governance — indicating substantial gaps, particularly in data and technology, with strategy, talent, and governance showing better progress,” Infosys chief technology officer Rafee Tarafdar told TechCircle.

While this is a global study, the challenges and insights mirror similar trends in India too, with similar issues arising around readiness across the dimensions of strategy, data, technology, talent, and governance, as well as in productivity and adoption, the company spokesperson said. “However, one unique aspect in India is the need for diversity and language support, requiring more tailored, indigenous solutions. While many models support multiple languages, the depth of this support varies, making India-centric solutions essential. Other than this, the trends in India align closely with global observations,” Tarafdar added.

Lastly, the research lays out five key steps to establish a strong foundation for AI and tread towards Enterprise AI adoption: Developing a comprehensive AI strategy; establishing responsible AI governance; upskilling and building the workforce; preparing data infrastructure for AI; and building a culture of tech-powered innovation.