Gen AI adoption: A new era for enterprises

The recent Capgemini Research Institute report, ‘Harnessing the value of AI: Unlocking scalable advantage,’ delves into the fast-tracked adoption of generative AI (Gen AI) across enterprises. The findings indicate a palpable shift toward embedding AI as active team members or even supervisors for other AI systems, forecasting such integration within 60% of organisations in the next year.

However, the transition isn't without hurdles. Many companies acknowledge gaps in their preparedness for dynamic human-AI synergy, with two-thirds recognising a need to revamp their team structures.

In its third annual edition, the report underscores a glaring escalation in Gen AI adoption: a significant leap to 30% of firms fully or partially scaling Gen AI, climbing fivefold since 2023. Roughly 93% are keenly involved in exploring or enabling Gen AI by 2025. Leading sectors embracing this tech transition are telecom, consumer products, and aerospace, focusing primarily on functions like customer operations and marketing.

Franck Greverie of Capgemini articulates a need for strategic data environment establishment to truly leverage the benefits of AI, pointing to the advantages of a balanced human-AI chemistry for favourable outcomes.

The momentum behind investment is clear, with around 79% of organisations content with the tangible outcomes from Gen AI investment. A notable 88% have increased their AI investments by an average of 9%, with predictions of further allocation increases within Gen AI.

However, enterprises report unforeseen cloud cost surges linked to Gen AI scaling, catching many off guard as costs outstripped initial projections. Consequently, smaller language models (SLMs) are gaining traction for better cost efficiency.

Momentum is building around AI agents, with increasing adoption across product design, marketing, and sales. Around half of those scaling AI agents are also engaging with multi-agent systems, with anticipation of a more autonomous, self-learning trajectory.

While enthusiasm is palpable, a 71% majority express reservations about relying on autonomous AI agents for enterprise use. Governance frameworks are proving elusive, with just 46% implementing and adhering to established policies.

The report surveyed 1,100 executive from international organisations with revenue of at least $1 billion in 15 countries. Executives were director level or above from a range of different industries.

In conclusion, while Gen AI adoption is clearly accelerating, enterprises must tackle structural challenges to harness its full potential and safeguard investments.