Generative AI (GenAI) is the accelerator of the decade, representing a significant and immediate opportunity for organisations. A Dell Technologies Survey of IT decision makers (ITDMs) across France, Germany, UK and US with GenAI implementation responsibilities reveals a growing appetite and anticipation for GenAI, with most respondents surveyed (total: 78%, UK: 75%) saying they are excited about the potential the technology can have on their organisation. Moreover, 71% expect to devote increased IT spend in the next year to pursue AI projects.
With a global economic impact predicted to be between $2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion annually, results suggest organisations are solidifying their GenAI approaches. Of those who have moved beyond a pilot stage, 81% of UK respondents said they believe GenAI is on track to deliver meaningful results, and 80% report they have implemented centralised decision-making and/or centres of excellence. In terms of how they deploy solutions, 76% of UK respondents said they prefer to build an on-premises or hybrid approach to GenAI.
However, while investment in GenAI is well underway, 49% of respondents in the UK said their organisations are somewhat or very hesitant to adopt GenAI, more than double that of France (22%). The key barriers driving organisational hesitancy are concerns about employee morale (49%), security (43%), technical complexity (39%) and cost of implementation (35%).
Despite this, UK respondents showed optimism about the impact of GenAI. The findings reveal three quarters (75%) believe its impact will be significant or transformative (significant: 55%, transformative: 20%), with the top impact areas including productivity gains, streamlined processes and cost savings. When grouped by location, those surveyed in France, Germany and the US did not include cost savings in their top three impact areas.
Organisations also seem poised to capitalise on the opportunity – 44% of respondents say their organisations are at the early to mid-stage in their GenAI journey. For the UK, this rises to 51%, suggesting a faster pace and more than half (53%) saying they expect to see meaningful results within six months to a year (53%).
