While 82 percent of respondents plan to implement AI-related technologies in the next three years, these disparities in success will only widen without adoption of critical widespread organizational change

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A large majority of global companies that are leaders in artificial intelligence (AI) expect their employees will work comfortably with robots by 2020. Despite this optimistic outlook, a significantly smaller fraction of businesses is providing adequate reskilling and training to address technology disruption, according to a new survey of C-suite and senior executives.

The study shows a striking disconnect between the expectations of how AI will impact the future of work, and the actions companies are taking in preparing their workforces and organizations for that future.

The research titled ‘Is Your Business AI-Ready?’ conducted by Genpact, a global professional services firm underscored that even in AI’s early days of enterprise applications, large gaps in behavior and performance exist between AI leaders and laggards.

While 82 percent of respondents plan to implement AI-related technologies in the next three years, these disparities in success will only widen without adoption of critical widespread organizational change.

N.V. ‘Tiger’ Tyagarajan, president and chief executive officer, Genpact said, “Companies must train their workforce at all levels and encourage the right corporate culture. Collaboration between humans and machines has the power to improve customer experiences, grow revenue, and create new jobs – but only if senior management has the vision to proactively prepare and embrace change.”

Breaking barriers: Leaders embrace talent + technology

According to the research, the top three barriers to AI adoption are information security concerns, lack of clarity about where to apply AI most effectively, and silos within the organization, especially between information technology and other functions. For example:

• Nearly 71 percent of leaders allocate sufficient resources and funding toward AI-related technologies, compared to only 9 percent of laggards.
• More than half (53 percent) of leaders foster a training and development culture to learn new skills, compared to 15 percent of laggards.
• Almost 60 percent of leaders say their middle managers think out of the box and encourage innovation, compared to only 14 percent of laggards.

Aiming AI for topline growth: Leaders excel in customer experience and revenue impact

When looking at AI benefits, leaders have the clear edge in moving beyond the more expected cost-cutting measures. While a third of all respondents cite cost savings as a benefit, more than 40 percent of leaders say AI improves the customer experience.

Moreover, when asked to fast forward three years, 87 percent of all respondents expect that AI will bring better customer experiences. This underscores how companies increasingly plan to throw out their old playbook and replace it with AI – a nod toward the importance of imaginative, personalized, and immersive customer experiences.