5 reasons why many businesses are still in ‘AI adolescence

Here’s what businesses can learn from the small group of organizations that already use artificial (AI) to their competitive advantage. 

If the world’s largest companies were people, most would be in their teenage years when it comes to using Artificial Intelligence (AI).

According to new research from Accenture on AI maturity, 63% of 1,200 companies were identified as “Experimenters,” or companies that are stuck in the experimentation phase of their AI lives. They have yet to leverage the technology’s full potential to innovate and transform their business, and they risk leaving money on the table.

This is money that the most AI-mature organizations are already pocketing. While the “AI adults” (dubbed Achievers in the research) are only a small group — representing 12% of companies — they are reaping big rewards: By outperforming their peers on AI, they are increasing their revenue growth by 50% on average. How? Because they master key capabilities in the right combination by having command of the technology itself — including data, AI and cloud — as well as their organizational strategy, responsible use of AI, C-suite sponsorship, talent and culture.

Unlike people, companies don’t necessarily grow up and graduate into adulthood in a relatively fixed period. Instead, they hold their development in their own hands. This makes it crucial to understand what keeps adolescent AI users from reaching their maturity. They typically share the five following characteristics:

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