Key Points:
- 90% of IT decision-makers plan to deploy more automation, including AI, in the next 12 months.
- 26% of respondents plan to implement machine-operated tasks or fully transition to autonomous systems in the next five years.
The rise of the autonomous enterprise is approaching, as 90% of IT decision-makers are planning to deploy more automation, including AI, in the next 12 months, according to a survey conducted by Digitate. The survey also revealed that 26% of respondents plan to implement machine-operated tasks that require limited human input or fully transition to autonomous systems within the next five years. This reflects the increasing recognition among IT leaders that AI-powered automation is essential for survival in a digitally driven economy.
While automation is seen as critical for improving business Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), enhancing employee productivity, and increasing customer satisfaction, 30% of respondents reported that their organizations will still need an equal proportion of automation and human processing. This indicates that keeping humans in the loop will remain important even as automation becomes more prevalent.
The survey also highlighted the challenges faced by IT leaders in implementing automation. The biggest internal challenge reported by 44% of respondents is growing IT complexity due to cloud migration and adoption. To address this, 92% of respondents already have or are planning to have a multi-vendor cloud strategy. As a result, 67% of IT leaders plan to implement additional IT automation in the next 12 months.
When it comes to the impact of automation on the workforce, most organizations are focusing their automation efforts in the IT department (90%), followed by finance (89%) and customer support (89%). The survey also revealed that organizations are experimenting with different types of automation, with 74% having experimented with generative AI, followed by workflow automation (68%) and AIOps (65%). However, the implementation of automation also raises concerns about workplace insecurity and job redundancy, with 26% of IT leaders citing this as the main drawback of automation.
Cybersecurity is another major concern for organizations, with 54% of IT decision-makers seeing it as the biggest external risk over the next 12 months. Despite this, only 38% of respondents have deployed automation to address cybersecurity risks. However, 49% plan to implement some form of automation within the next six months to strengthen their cybersecurity measures.
In conclusion, the survey conducted by Digitate shows that the autonomous enterprise is on the horizon, with a majority of IT decision-makers planning to increase automation, including AI, within the next year. While automation offers many benefits, organizations need to carefully navigate the challenges it presents, such as growing IT complexity and concerns about job redundancy. Additionally, cybersecurity remains a top concern, indicating the need for further automation in this area.