Deloitte’s fifth-annual State of AI in the Enterprise report, titled “Fueling the AI Transformation,” opens with some relatively bold scene setting. The foreword suggests that enterprises are well into one era, “the era of value,” which has seen optimization replace implementation as a primary goal, while at the same time taking their first steps into a new age, “the Age of With.” The former is characterized by closer collaboration between humans and machines, a growing recognition that AI is not replacing members of the workforce so much as empowering them to reinvent their jobs and redefine excellence on their own terms.
Surveying business leaders from 13 countries and representing a swath of industries, the report breaks respondents into four categories: Transformers, Pathseekers, Starters, and Underachievers. The research then breaks down common challenges, showcases success stories, and offers “key actions” enterprises can take to more successfully implement computer vision and other AI solutions.
The emphasis on a new era, rather than an upcoming quarter or the year ahead, confirms that AI solutions are vital to achieving greater efficiency and long-term success. Organizations are not deciding if they’ll leverage the latest technologies like Large Language Models and computer vision, they’re deciding how to use them as effectively as possible to catalyze holistic digital transformations. Enterprises are accelerating innovation and redefining what “the era of value” means for their business and its unique goals, challenges, and ecosystem.
4 Ways to Harness Potential in the Era of Value
Deloitte structures its reports around four recommendations to empower organizations as they explore evolving AI solutions and apply them to transform their operations.
1. Invest in Culture and Leadership
Adoption rates and results are higher when organizations take the time to build AI-ready cultures before diving into initiatives. Deloitte identifies a number of gaps, however, when it comes to harnessing optimism and fostering collaboration between AI solutions and the workforce – even among high-performing respondents.
Despite studies showing a clear link between AI education and value generation, just 21% of the more than 2,600 respondents say they instruct employees on how to best deploy the solutions they use. Just 30% report including their employees in the design process, a step Deloitte goes on to note has been key to clothing retailer H&M’s successful introduction of a new pricing algorithm.
Transparency and trust are essential to ensuring end users across the enterprise embrace new solutions, including computer vision, and feel empowered to perform to the best of their ability and get the most of their technology. Including the people who’ll ultimately use solutions in the early stages of pilots and emphasizing clear communication will ensure the clear benefits outweigh any potential misgivings about automation. A culture of communication will also ensure enterprises identify potential challenges and roadblocks proactively and mount an efficient, effective response.
2. Transform Operations
Introducing a new solution to an otherwise unchanging organization is hardly a recipe for success. Nevertheless, the last two of Deloitte’s annual reports show that organizations are unlikely to redesign workflows to suit new technologies or document the lifecycle of their AI models. Just around a third of even high-outcome organizations are likely to adopt these risk mitigation strategies and mold their organization to better fit new technologies.
Among the primary challenges associated with deploying and successfully scaling solutions are lacking executive commitment and insufficient post-launch maintenance and support. Both were cited by 50% of survey respondents.
3. Orchestrate Tech and Talent
Computer vision and emerging solutions present a dual challenge, requiring enterprises to carefully consider both their technology and talent investments. So far, organizations have opted to purchase solutions, rent them, and build them in house in about equal numbers. The increasing complexity of AI-powered solutions will demand that organizations build robust partner networks to fill in talent gaps and make the most effective use of in-house resources.
Deloitte quotes an AI strategy manager from the healthcare industry as noting, “The most successful organizations I see are the ones investing in outside technical leadership.”
4. Select Use Cases that Accelerate Value
AI is capable of addressing a wider range of challenges for a diverse selection of enterprises of all sizes. As a result, the sheer number of possibilities can overwhelm enterprises (especially those exploring new solutions for the first time) and leave them struggling to balance priorities and take action. Making the wrong decisions – such as investing in fruitless or low-value initiatives – can have fatal effects on an organization’s enthusiasm for computer vision.
The State of Computer Vision in the Enterprise
Deloitte reports that 94% of respondents agreed AI would play an essential role in their efforts over the next five years and that 79% have successfully deployed three or more AI solutions (up from just 62% last year). At the same time, however, the number of organizations identifying as ‘Underachievers’ has risen significantly since the last report was published.
Oftentimes, trouble begins when an organization takes a one-size-fits-all approach to AI, relying on tried and true methods and resources. Emerging technology like computer vision requires a unique approach, one that makes use of expert support to accelerate value generation.
Kickstart Your Digital Transformation
The most actionable and valuable use cases will depend on an enterprise’s specific goals and industry. Plainsight’s reputation as a proven leader in enterprise computer vision rests on an ability to support customers in a variety of industries, empowering them to quickly set themselves apart from the competition and address high-value use cases.
Plainsight’s commitment to long-term oversight ensures customers realize success on an ongoing basis and make computer vision results repeatable. This focus on life after deployment is among the differentiators noted by IDC in their market note covering the computer vision landscape and Plainsight’s customer-focused approach.
The era of proven enterprise Computer Vision is here. Schedule a call with Plainsight’s experts today. Whatever industry you operate in, we can help you decide how best to pursue your vision.
