2024年AI实际应用报告+AI+in+Action+2024

AIin

Action

2024

thinkreport

Foreword

Asleaders,valuecreationisaperpetualbusinessimperative—andthebestwaytobecome,andjustasimportantly,stay

successful.Intoday’sinnovation-drivenmarket,AIisthepathtovalue.AholisticAIstrategywilllaythegroundworktotakeone’scompanyfromgoodfornowtogreatforthefuture.

TheAIinAction2024reportidentifieswhatseparatesAI

LeadersfromAILearners.Fromproductivitytoprofitability,

theseAILeadersarereapingtherewardsofAItoday.Infact,

two-thirdsofLeadersreportAIhasdrivenagreaterthan25%improvementinrevenuegrowthrate.Inaddition,27%–38%ofLeadershighlightsignificantimprovementsacross5keyareasofvalue:productivity,cybersecurity,customerexperience,

marketingeffectivenessandstreamlinedprocesses.

Greatleadershipisanattributethatcanbesharpened.Itisin

thisspiritoflearningtoleadthatwe’reexcitedtosharewithyouthequalitiesandskillsthatmakeanAILeader.Weencourage

youtotakethetimetoreviewtheAIinAction2024report.Within,you’llhearfromexpertswhowillcontextualizethe

findings,providinginsightsandcorrelationsthatcancatapultyouaheadinyourAIjourney.

Thefutureawaits.TheseinsightswillhelpyoudeployAI

responsibly,creatingmorevalueandacceleratinggrowththatseparatesyoufromthepack.

MohamadAli

SeniorVicePresidentIBMConsulting

2

Tableofcontents

05

11

19

27

35

40

42

Introduction

Chapter1

EyesontheAIroadmap

Chapter2

Datadrivesinnovation

Chapter3

Perfectionistheenemyofprogress

Chapter4

Getreadyfortheroadahead

Appendix1

AIaroundtheworld

Appendix2

Abouttheresearch

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation3

Introduction

It’smorning

intheageofAI

Afterdecadesoffoundationbuilding

andincrementalprogress,AIhastakenanexponentialleapforward.Whatwasonceanoveltyhasbecomeabusinessnecessity.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation

TheexcitementaroundAIhasinspiredan

endlessscrollofhypeandhyperbole.There’snoshortageofconjecture.AIinActionbringsreal-worlddatatotheconversationtoexplore

asimplequestion—duringthiscriticalperiod,whatlessonscanbelearnedfromanAI

vanguardalreadyseeingresults?

Tothatend,IBMpartneredwithTheHarris

Pollandsurveyed2,000organizationsfrom

acrosstheglobe.Wediscoveredthat15%—a

groupwecallLeaders—riseabovethebuzzandachievequantifiableresults.

6

Infact,two-thirdsofLeadersreportthatAIhasalreadydrivenagreaterthan25%improvementinrevenuegrowthrate.

Seedataonpage9

2/3of

Leaders

27%–38%ofLeadersarealreadyseeing

significantimprovementsacross5key

areasofvalue:cybersecurityandresilience;

customersatisfaction,engagement

andretention;marketingeffectiveness;

streamlinedprocesses;andstaffproductivity.

27%–38%ofLeaders

AIinActiondeliversaclear

assessmentofLeadersandoffersexpertcommentaryonhow

Learners—theremaining85%of

thosesurveyed—canjointheirranks.

WediscoveredthatLeadersdon’t

mindlesslychasetrends.Instead,they

lookfortheintersectionofopportunity,needandinternalcapabilitiestodevelopanaction-orientedroadmap.Theyfosterorganization-widealignmentthrough

clearandauthenticcommunication.

Leadersalsounderstandthatastrong

datafoundationdeliverstheflexibilitytocustomizeAI.Theyrelyonahybridcloudstrategyandamultimodel,platform-

basedapproach.Theyunderstandthe

perilsof“theperfectiontrap,”seek

partnersthatcandrivetrust,andare

committedtoincrementalimprovementthroughcontinuousexperimentation.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation7

Let’sexplorethepaththey’vealreadyblazed.Andifyou’reaLeaderandwanttostaythatway,keepreading.

LeadersandLearnersbyindustry

LeadersandLearnersbyregion

Finance

India

Manufacturing

Germany

84%

Learners

84%

Learners

77%

Learners

87%

Learners

16%

Leaders

16%

Leaders

23%

Leaders

13%

Leaders

Retail

Telco

UK

Japan

87%

Learners

82%

89%

Learners

Learners

93%

Learners

13%

Leaders

11%

Leaders

18%

Leaders

7%

Leaders

US

77%

Learners

23%

Leaders

8AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation9

Chapter1

EyesontheAIroadmap

ThepotentialofAIisoverwhelming.Organizationsmustfindfocusamidafrenzyofpossibilitieswithan

actionableroadmapthatchartsapaththroughtheiruniqueterrain,notsomeidealizedstate.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation

ThesurveydatarevealsthatLeadersbuildaroadmapinformedby4AIdimensions:strategy,toolkits,datamanagementandapplications.Strategyrequires

visionandinvestment;toolkitsmustbesupportedbyatechnicalstaffandflexibleinfrastructure;

datamanagementisgroundedinaccessibilityand

governance;andapplicationsshouldreliablyaddressabroadarrayoftargetedusecases.

Ahigh-fidelityroadmaprequiresfeedback.Leaderslistentoallstakeholdersandaremindfulofinternallimitations.

12

4AIdimensions

Strategy

Strategyrequiresvisionandinvestment.

Toolkits

Toolkitsmustbesupportedbyatechnicalstaffand

flexibleinfrastructure.

Datamanagement

Datamanagementis

groundedinaccessibilityandgovernance.

Applications

Applicationsshouldreliablyaddressabroadarrayof

targetedusecases.

AclearroadmapfostersthetypeofC-suite

alignmentthatseparatesLeadersandLearners.Itplotsspecificgoalsacrossatimelineanddefinesthemetricsusedtomeasuretheirsuccessful

implementation.

“TogetAItoscale,youhavetopresentareallytightvaluecaseonhowAIisgoingtoachieve

yourorganization’smission.”

CathyReese

SeniorPartner,Data&

TechnologyTransformationIBMConsulting®

WhenLeadersshareacommonvision,theyavoidsowingconfusionandinertiathroughouttheir

organization.“Aslighthesitationatthetopbecomesabigroadblockatthebottom,”warnsKurupPrasad,SeniorPartner,ServiceLineLeader,IBMConsulting.

Breadthofvisionisalsoadistinguishingfactor

betweenLeadersandLearners;Leaderscovermoregroundwiththeirroadmaps.Insteadofapiecemealapproach,theypreferholisticstrategies.

RespondentswhofollowanAI

roadmapinsteadoftakingamoreopportunisticapproach

Leaders

85%

Learners

72%

RespondentswhosaytheirC-suiteisfullyalignedwithITleadershipaboutwhatneedstobedoneto

achieveAImaturity

Leaders

IIW72%

Learners

I36%

PercentageofthosewhosaytheirleadershipclearlyunderstandsthebusinessvalueofAIinvestments

Leaders

IlI73%

Learners

I40%

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation13

ForLeaders,broaddoesn’t

meanvague.Accordingtothesurveydata,theyprioritize4

usecases:improvingcustomerexperience,IToperationsand

automation,virtualassistantsforexternalapplications,

andcybersecurity.

Topusecasesbyindustry

IndustryTopusecase

Finance

VirtualassistantforexternalapplicationsandAI-enabledsearchengines

Telco

IToperationsandautomation,andvirtualassistantsfor

internalapplications

Retail

Improvedcustomerexperience

ManufacturingIToperationsandautomation

Leadersare

approximately80%morelikelythan

Learnerstoinvestinthetop4usecases.

14AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation15

ShobhitVarshney,VicePresidentandSeniorPartner,AmericasGenAIIoTLeader,IBMConsulting,urgesorganizationstoidentifyusecasesbyemphasizing

impactinsteadofconvenience.“It’stempting

tostartanAIjourneywithwhat’squickestto

implement,”henotes,“butLeadersuncover

bigmeatyopportunitiesthataregoingtomovetheneedle.”

Varshneyrecommendsfocusingonend-to-end

workflows.“AIandautomationcanmakeamessyflowsmart,”hesays.

Noonefeelsinternalpainpointsmoreacutely

thanfrontlineemployees.Workersareincreasinglyeagertooffloadroteandrepetitivetasks,suchas

paperworkandmanualdataentry,sotheycanfocusonhigher-valueactivities.InvolvingtheminanAI

strategyallowsthemtofeelawareandengaged,andsparksexcitementaroundatechnologytheymightotherwisefindintimidating.

Revenuegrowth

Respondentswhoreportasignificant—greater

than50%—improvementinrevenuegrowthrate

attributabletotheirAIinitiatives

30%

17%

LeadersLearners

Respondentswhoreportamoderate—greaterthan25%butlessthan50%—improvementinrevenuegrowthrateattributabletotheirAIinitiatives

34%

37%

Leaders

Learners

16

“Nomatterhowstellaryourtechnicalskills,platforms

andcapabilities,you’llneverachievesuccessifyoudon’texhibitstrongleadership

andchangemanagement,”explainsReese.“Youmust

keeptheuserfrontofmind.”

Reeseurgesorganizationstoavoidwell-wornjargonandoverlyoptimistictalkingpoints.Inthelanguageofbusiness,there’snothingmorecompellingthan

success,soReesebelievesit’simportanttoheraldAIwins.ThesurveydatarevealsthatLeadershavealottocelebrate.

Profitability

Respondentswhoreportasignificant—greaterthan50%—improvementin

profitmarginssincethestartoftheirAIinitiatives

29%

18%

Leaders

Learners

Respondentswhoreportamoderate—greaterthan25%butlessthan50%—improvementinprofit

marginssincethestartoftheirAIinitiatives

33%

37%

Leaders

Learners

Key

takeaways

123

Itdoesn’tmatterifanAI

roadmapworksonpaper;

itmustworkinpractice.

Craftingaroadmaprequiresaclear-eyedevaluation

ofbusinessobjectives,

internaltechnicalcapabilities

andanorganization’schangemanagement.

Leaderspursueaholistic

AIstrategyandengage

stakeholdersacrosstheir

organizationsotheycan

prioritizeinfusingAIwhere

it’smostimpactful.Theygiveemployeesanopportunity

toredesigntheirjobstowardhigher-valuework.

Leadersmusthave

strongstorytellingskillstogenerateexcitementandbuy-in.Successiscontagious.Celebrate

winsandcommunicateauthentically.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation17

Chapter2

Datadrivesinnovation

Whenanewtechnologybecomes

prevalent,innovationcanbecome

monotone.Whatoncesharpeneda

competitiveedge,dullsit.Leaders

recognizethattheymustcustomizetheirAItoolstostandoutfromthe

crowd.Dataisthedifferencemakerandcommittingtoastrongtechnicalfoundation—includingahybridcloudstrategyandamultimodel,platform-basedapproach—fuelsagility.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation

“ALearnerwilltypicallycopy

predefinedscenariosusingout-of-the-boxtechnologies.ButaLeaderdevelopscustominnovations.”

Dr.StephanBloehdorn

ExecutivePartnerandPracticeLeader

AI,AnalyticsandAutomationIBMConsultingDACH

72%Leaders

33%Learners

RespondentswhobelieveintheirabilitytocustomizetheirAIeffortstoachieve

optimalvalue

20

Customizationisparticularly

importantforusecasesthat

benefitfrompersonalization,

suchasmarketingandcustomerexperience.Nosurprise,then,

thatretailorganizationsaremostlikelytoreporttheycustomize

AIsolutionsforoptimalvalue.

“AIcanprovidereallymeaningfulanswersto

questionswhenithastherightdata,”Varshneyexplains.“Rightnow,there’sfrictionless

accesstoexternalknowledge.Thenext

frontierisgettingAItocrossthechasmand

getinsideanenterprisesoitcanabsorb,learnandbecomeyourcompetitiveadvantage.”

Respondentswhoagreethestatement“WecustomizeAIsolutionsforoptimalvalue”describesthemverywell

42%

Finance

40%

Manufacturing

44%Retail

40%Telco

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation21

ConfidenceindatamanagementisoneofthestarkestdifferencesbetweenLeadersandLearners,accordingtothesurvey.

ManyLeadersusedatafabricstoknockdown

silos,ensureinteroperabilityandorchestratefluid

datamovementacrossplatforms.Similarly,data

lakehouseshelporganizationstrackwheredata

originates,howitflowsthroughsystemsandhow

itgetstransformedalongtheway.Thistypeofvisualdatalineageboostsgovernanceandconfidence.

Strongdatalabelingisalsoanimportantpartofdatamanagement.Likewise,syntheticdatageneration

anddataacquisitioncanbridgedatagaps.

Respondentswhobelieveintheirability

toaccessandeffectivelymanagetheir

organization’sdatatosupportAIinitiatives

Leaders

61%

Learners

11%

Respondentsinvestinginadatafabrictoenableaccesstohigh-qualitydata

Buildingauniquedatacorpuscanpower

customAI.Leadersrecognizeexperimentingwithmultiplemodels—orcreatingunique

ones—alsodrivesdifferentiation.

Choosingtherightmodelisanexerciseinbalancingtrade-offs,suchassize,cost,speed,securityand

theimportanceofuniqueoutputs.Off-the-shelf

modelsareoftenpowerfulbutopaqueandinflexible.

WhenLeaderstuneopenmodelsorbuildnichemodelswiththeirproprietarydata,theyseizecontrol.Theycanreducerisk,right-sizefortheusecaseandgetcontextuallyrelevantoutputs.

CentralizingAIassetsonaplatformalsofacilitatesflexibilityandscale,explainsVarshney.Built-in

toolsandlibrariesdriveproductivity,enhancesecurityandstreamlinedatamanagement.

“Whenyou’rebuilding

ontopofaplatform,”he

explains“youcangetintoproductionfasterandwithmoreconfidence.”

Inaddition,ahybridcloudstrategyfostersthetypeofcost-efficientflexibilityneededtoscaleAIprojectsacrossacustominfrastructure.

Leaders

44%

Respondentswhousemultiplemodels

Learners

RespondentswhouseAPIstocreatetheirownsolutions

33%

62%Leaders

61%Leaders

32%Learners

28%Learners

22AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation23

“Ifyouhaveahybridcloudstrategy,youcanshifttodifferentdeploymentscenariosandquicklyadaptto

technologicalchangesandshiftingmarketingdemands.Forexample,youcanspinupmoreGPUsand

morecomputeresources.”

Dr.StephanBloehdorn

ExecutivePartnerandPracticeLeaderAI,AnalyticsandAutomation

IBMConsultingDACH

Respondentswhostronglyagreewithout

ahybridcloudstrategy,itwillbedifficulttoachievethefullpotentialoftheirAIstrategy

Leaders

40%

Learners

23%

24

RespondentswhosomewhatagreeitwillbedifficulttoachievethefullpotentialoftheirAIstrategy.

Leaders

44%

Learners

I57%

Key

takeaways

123

Infusinghigh-quality,proprietary

dataintoAIhelpsLeaders

cultivateacompetitiveadvantage.Investingintoolsandprocesses

thatfacilitateAI-readydata

isanimportantpartofreachingAImaturity.

Amultimodel,platform-based

approachdrivesflexibilityand

helpsmitigaterisk.Fine-tuning

modelswithproprietarydata

improvesaccuracyandefficiency.

Ahybrid-cloudstrategyhelpsLeadersmeettheirAIgoals.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation25

Chapter3

Perfectionistheenemyofprogress

AIisn’tamereleverforshort-term

impact;it’sadisciplinethatcan

generatedividendsinperpetuity.

Leadersunderstandthattheymustestablishanopenculturecommittedtodeliberate,incrementalprogress.

“Learnersoftengetsnaredinthe

‘perfectiontrap’”observesPrasad.“Theylosesomuchtimetryingtogetthingspicture-perfect.”

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation

ReesehasencounteredLearnerswhoget

boggeddownin1proofofconceptafter

another:“It’saviciouscycle.Learnerswindupthinkingthey’vefallenvictimtohype,butreally,it’samatterofdiscipline.”

“Juststart.Deathbyiterationandreiteration

canstymieprogressatthestartinggate,”aversDylanTitherley,GlobalAllianceManager,

Adobe.“Tosucceedhere,youneedbold

ideas—sure—butmorethanthat,youneedtheappetitetoexperiment,togetthingswrong,tomakethemrightandtoalwayskeepmoving

forward.”

Respondentswhodisagreewiththestatement“ThereisalotofhypeinAIandthevalueisunclear”

Leaders

I1Ii65%

Learners

51%

Percentageofthosewhodescribetheir

organizationasbeingveryaggressivewithrespecttomakinginvestmentsinAI

Leaders

II71%

Learners

19%

Leadershave40%moreAI

applicationsinproduction

todaythanLearnersandplantodoublethenumberoftheirAIappsinthenext12months.

28AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation29

“Yourfirstusecasemaynotflyormaynothave

significantROI,”Bloehdornposits.“Butasyou

exploremoreusecases,synergiesemerge.Peoplearemoreengaged,moretrained,moreadeptat

implementingmeaningfulchange.Thatsuccesscanbecomealighthouseforotherareasofyourbusiness.”

LeadersturnAIinitiativesintoacorecompetency—asopposedtoanicheactivity—bybuildingand

empoweringteamsofspecialists.

“There’snosuchthingasaone-size-

fits-allmodel.Eachonehasunique

strengthsandshortcomingsand

they’reconstantlyevolving.Youwanttobuildaninventoryofoptionswith

flexibilitytochangewhenneeded.

Thatinventoryshouldincludedomain-specificmodelsthatarefine-tuned

forthetasksthatmattermosttoyourorganization.”

Dr.WalterSun

SVPandGlobalHeadofAISAP

AIstrategyshouldn’tbesiloed,butcentralizingaccountabilityforguidelineshelpsorganizationsensurethattheydon’tdriftfromtheirvaluesormindlesslychasetrends.

“Guardrailshelpsyouknow

whentopauseorpivot,”explainsPrasad,particularlywhenthey

establishperformancemetrics.

ReeseurgesorganizationstohavecandiddiscussionsonAIethicsandgovernance.“Puttingthoseteams

andpoliciesinplaceandhavingthemcommunicatewiththerestoftheorganizationisanimportantpartofbuildingtrust,”sheemphasizes.Italsohelpsfosterriskmanagementandregulatorycompliance.

Respondentswhoarealreadyinvestingintechnology

Leaders

60%

Learners

48%

Respondentswhoareinvestinginstafftoensurecompliancewith

dataregulations

Leaders

I46%

Learners

RespondentswhocreatedaChiefAIOfficerposition

Respondentswho

establishedanAI

centerofexcellence

51%Leaders

42%Learners

41%Leaders

31%Learners

40%

30AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation31

MostLeadersaugmenttheirinternaltalentwithhelpfromthirdpartieswhohavetheexpertisetodeployandaccelerateAIatscale.84%of

Leadersuseserviceprovidersand57%indicatethatexternalpartnershaveagreatdealof

influenceontheirAIdecision-making.Whenchoosingpartners,Leadersalsolookfortheabilitytofostercompliance,datasecurityandend-to-endgovernance.

Whenchoosingpartners,percentageofLeaderswholookforhelpwith:

32

Compliancewithregulations44%End-to-endgovernance39%

Datasecurityandprivacy36%

Key

takeaways

123

Movingfastdoesn’trequireLeaderstobereckless.

AIcentersofexcellence

helpensurethatorganizationsinnovatewithoutrunning

afoulofinternalprinciplesorexternalregulations.

Perfectionistheenemyof

progress.LeadersmoveAI

projectsintoproductionas

soonaspossibleandhavethedisciplinetoiterateandpursueincrementalimprovement.

Leadersseekhelpfromtrustworthythirdparties,suchasserviceprovidersandconsultancies.

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation33

Chapter4

Getreadyfor

theroadahead

AstheageofAIprogresses,thinkinglike

aLeaderisimperativetokeeppacewith

emergingopportunities—andthecompetition.

“It’shardnottogetexcitedaboutwhatcan

bedonewithgenerativeAI.Industrieswillchange.Customerexpectationswillchange.Howweworkwillchange.NewAI-native

companiesthatstartwithouttechdebtwillhaveaspeedadvantage.”

CathyReeseSeniorPartner

Data&TechnologyTransformationIBMConsulting

36

Reesebelievesthatlegacyorganizationsmustshedburdensomeinefficienciestocompete

withupstarts.Shesuggests7strategicareasforreflection:

1.Vision

Doesyourorganizationhaveshared

AIgoalsacrossallbusinesslines?

Howwillyoumeasurevaluegeneration?

2.AIoperatingmodel

WhatareyourtopAIusecases?Canacenterofexcellencehelpdriveresults?

3.Dataandtechnology

IsyourdatareadyforAI?Isit

highquality,securedandgoverned?

4.AIengineeringandoperations

Whattoolsareyouusingtodeployandmaintainmodels?

5.Changemanagement

Howcomplexisyourorganization?Howadaptableisittochange?

6.People

AreyourpeoplereadyforAI?

Whatskillsdotheyneed?Howcanyouenableagrowthmindset?

7.Ethics

Areyoudriftingfromyourorganization’svalues?AreyouthoughtfullydeployingAIorusingitjustbecauseit’seasy?

Leadersareoptimisticaboutthefuture,

butthey’renotblindtopotentialrisks.

AllorganizationsshouldbemindfulofwhatLeadersconsiderthetopAIchallenges:

1.Datasecurity

2.AImodelhacking

3.Inaccuratedataandbias

4.Irresponsibleuse

5.Regulatorychanges,particularlyarounddataprivacyandconfidentiality

AIinAction|©2024IBMCorporation37

Takenasawhole,thesurveydatathatunderpinsthis

report—andtheexpertsthatbringittolife—revealthatAIsuccessissurprisinglyhuman.Yes,greattechnologyisimperative,butsoisvisionary,decisiveleadership

thatinspiresexperimentation,agilityandpersistence.

Organizationsmusttakestockofthemselveswhilekeepingavigilanteyeonanever-changingAIlandscape.AIis

constantlyinaction;youshouldbetoo.

ExplorehowIBMcanhelpyouputAIintoactiontodayat/artificial-intelligence.

AIinActionresearch

Keystatisticsandgeographiccomparisons

Appendix1:

AIaroundtheworld

Indiastandsoutsacrossseveralcategories.

They’remorelikelythantheirglobalpeerstocraftholisticstrategies,pursuemultipleusecases,

understandthevalueofastrongdatafoundationandexhibitconfidenceintheirAIinfrastructure.Inaddition,theytendtotailortheAIsolutions

andexperimentwithmultiplemodels.

PrasadpositsthatIndia’srelativelyyoungtalent

andgrowingeconomyisanAIadvantage.Itforcesorganizationstoconstantlyinnovate,experimentandtakecalculatedrisks.

Worldwide

US

India

UK

Germany

Japan

15%ofrespondentsidentifyasAILeaders.

23%

23%

11%

13%

7%

41%haveaholisticstrategyforusingAIbroadlyacrossthecompany.

46%

50%38%

38%32%

24%

29%14%

32%40%

28%ofcompaniesareveryaggressivelyinvestinginAI.

45%stronglyagreetheir54%56%41%42%34%

companyleadership

understandthebusiness

valueofAI.

54%haveseenmoderate60%(revenue)67%(revenue)52%(revenue)34%(revenue)53%(revenue)

(25%–50%)tosignificant63%(profitability)65%(profitability)53%(profitability)34%(profitability)53%(profitability)

(>50%)improvementin

revenuegrowthresulting

fromAI;54%haveseen

moderatetosignificant

improvementinprofitability.

51%

52%41%

46%33%

45%stronglyagreetheircompany’sAIjourneywillrequiresignificantskills.

39%say“customizing

AIsolutionsforoptimal

value”describestheir

companyverywelltoday;54%in12m