Early Adopters Accelerate Generative AI Deployment in Production: Insights from New Report

Organizations are rapidly advancing generative AI (gen AI) pilots into production, eager to capitalize on enhanced efficiency, personalized customer experiences, and informed decision-making.

Currently, one in four organizations views gen AI as crucial for increasing productivity. Thirty percent prioritize improving customer experience and personalization, while 26% highlight the technology’s potential for better decision-making.

According to Dresner Advisory Services' Generative AI Report, which draws insights from a global research community of over 8,000 organizations, businesses are actively evaluating and adopting gen AI technologies.

Howard Dresner, founder and chief research officer at Dresner Advisory, notes, “The generative AI phenomenon has garnered significant attention, both positively and negatively. While current adoption is still in its early stages, a majority of respondents express intentions to implement it quickly or in the future.”

Driving Adoption: Priorities Accelerate Progress

Building business cases for new technologies often falters in connecting measurable revenue with time and cost savings. However, gen AI effectively demonstrates its value during pilot programs, avoiding the pitfalls of overwhelming data typically seen in enterprises.

The Dresner report emphasizes that gen AI pilots facilitate robust business cases, expediting adoption. Marketing and IT departments are the forefront adopters, where productivity and efficiency are immediately impacted. Additionally, 26% of organizations cite improved decision-making as a key reason for prioritizing gen AI.

Data Privacy: A Paramount Concern

Data privacy dominates organizations' concerns regarding gen AI adoption. Nearly half of respondents consider it a critical factor. Other significant concerns include legal compliance, the risk of unintended consequences, and ethics and bias issues. Additionally, less than half see costs and organizational policies as major obstacles. Fears regarding data privacy heighten with the potential misuse of large language models (LLMs), prompting several organizations to leverage gen AI for enhanced security against chatbot vulnerabilities.

Industries Leading the Gen AI Charge

Healthcare, manufacturing, and education are currently at the forefront of exploring gen AI's productivity benefits. As LLMs excel at text-heavy tasks and achieve greater accuracy and speed, organizations across sectors are increasingly attentive. Gen AI holds the promise of improving personalized medical care, addressing complex manufacturing challenges, and creating tailored educational experiences.

Dresner’s research indicates that the government sector is approaching with caution; 33% of respondents prefer a wait-and-see strategy, citing concerns about data privacy and the adoption of advanced technologies.

Gen AI Adoption Trends by Industry

The consumer services sector leads in deploying gen AI, with 43% of firms currently utilizing the technology. Following closely are the technology, business services, and healthcare industries. In terms of experimentation, education ranks highest, with healthcare not far behind, while the government reports the least progress and the greatest uncertainty regarding future plans.

OpenAI: The Dominant Force in LLM Support

OpenAI maintains a stronghold in cross-industry support, with four of the top five large language models (LLMs) being GPT-4, GPT-3, AutoGPT, and GPT-2. Google’s BERT ranks fifth, backed by slightly over 10% of organizations. As more LLMs emerge, it’s imperative for organizations to define their use cases clearly to maximize their investments. Dresner’s research suggests the LLM market may eventually fragment, with vendors honing in on vertical and specialized applications as competition intensifies.