Two-thirds (67%) of global businesses are now using some form of generative AI in the workplace, according to a new study by technology and business training company O’Reilly.
Its survey of more than 2,800 technology professionals also noted that, of those using GenAI at work, around two in five (38%) are recent adopters, implementing the technology in the past year.
Moreover, the participants speak more favorably of the technology than they do unfavorably, with many claiming productivity benefits.
Businesses continue to adopt GenAI
According to the figures, more than half (54%) believe that generative AI tools will lead to greater overall productivity. In contrast, only 4% believe that the technology poses a threat to their jobs.
Although the benefits are clear, some factors still prevent businesses from rolling out AI tools more widely, with many (53%) struggling to identify appropriate use cases.
Some of the key areas to benefit from the technology include programming (77%), data analysis (70%), and customer-facing applications (65%). Content generation for the purposes of marketing and other forms of copy are also set to benefit from generative AI, says O’Reilly.
Others (38%) are concerned about a combination of legal issues, risk, and compliance.
The study also alludes to the ongoing battle to find skilled talent, indicating that AI programming, data analysis, and operations for AI/ML are all highly desirable skills. Even regular workers who have nothing to do with the back-end and development sides should be able to demonstrate some general AI literacy moving forward.
Looking ahead, O’Reilly criticizes some other studies, including a Gartner report proposing that AI might be at the top of its hype cycle, instead suggesting that “there’s a lot more headroom,” a nod to continually evolving models and applications.
Mary Treseler, chief content officer for the company, added: “We are far from reaching the peak of what generative AI can achieve, and organisations still have time to invest in the critical skills development required to be at the forefront of the AI revolution.”
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