AI aspirations threatened by lack of skills for over a third of global CIOs
July 31 2024 - 2:00AM
Business Wire
According to Technology Leaders Survey,
commissioned by Expereo
Over one third (35%) of global enterprises are struggling to
retain or attract crucial skills in AI, data and automation, which
is threatening their optimistic AI ambitions. This is according to
research from an IDC InfoBrief, commissioned by Expereo, Enterprise
Horizons 2024* which highlights a critically low supply of AI
expertise, despite AI now being considered as the biggest priority
for CIOs across the world.
The research of 650 technology leaders in global enterprises
across Europe, US and APAC showed that not only are enterprises
struggling to attract or retain crucial talent, but their current
external technology partners are not aligned to their AI ambitions
either. 29% of global CIOs said their current external technology
partners do not have the right capabilities in place to support AI
initiatives, and 28% of global respondents feel regional variations
in ability to implement AI initiatives is a key challenge.
The other leading obstacle to fulfilling AI ambitions include
navigating AI governance and ethics (36%). This refers to ongoing
challenges such as regulation, trust and data protection when it
comes to using AI tools in a business setting. This is another
concern which could be eased with support and guidance by
experienced AI talent.
The survey found that 42% of CIOs also believe that training for
new ways of working, a result of AI, is one of the biggest IT
challenges in supporting remote and hybrid workers, and 39% said
that understanding how employees use AI is now a concern.
Network performance and flexibility are additionally among the
key factors preventing companies from implementing AI at scale.
When asked what prevents or limits their organization’s networks
from supporting large data or AI projects, 38% of global
respondents said network performance, such as application
responsiveness or latency, and 38% of global respondents also said
their networks’ inability to scale flexibly on demand.
What’s more, networking talent was cited as the second hardest
area to recruit for, with 36% of global respondents citing it as a
key challenge. In fact, networking talent was even harder to
recruit for than data, AI and automation, suggesting that it’s more
than just AI talent that organisations are struggling to onboard,
it’s the core infrastructure talent too.
In spite of these challenges, 32% of CIOs are moving forward
with caution with AI implementation, and 44% are excited and ready
to take on AI initiatives. Just less than one in 10 global
enterprises (8%) are not ready to take on AI at all. When asked how
long it will be until their organization implement AI initiatives,
more than a quarter of global respondents (36%) expect to implement
cybersecurity AI initiatives within the next 12 months.
Ben Elms, CEO, Expereo, comments:
“CIOs need to keep pace with market innovations, customer
expectations and fierce competition when it comes to AI, while
ensuring they are adopting the technology responsibly and
effectively, without cutting corners. This is a difficult act to
balance, and without the necessary skills in place, driven by
competition for AI and core networking talent, CIOs should look to
outsource crucial expertise, and partner with the right technology
providers that can offer the local expertise and growth initiatives
that work for them.
“Networking technology, data strategies and wider tech
infrastructure are all key areas which run adjacent to AI
initiatives, which must also not be ignored.”
For the full *IDC InfoBrief, doc #EUR252162924, June 2024 please
visit:
https://www.expereo.com/whitepapers/enterprise-horizons-2024
About Expereo
Expereo is the world leading intelligent internet company that
connects people, places, and things anywhere. Solutions include
Global Internet, SD-WAN/SASE, and Enhanced Internet. With an
extensive global reach, Expereo is the trusted partner of 60% of
Fortune 500 companies. It powers enterprise and government sites in
more than 190 countries, with the ability to connect to any
location worldwide, working with over 2,300 partners to help
customers improve productivity and empowering their networks and
cloud services with the agility, flexibility, and value of the
Internet, with optimal network performance.
Expereo was acquired in Feb 2021, by Vitruvian Partners which
acquired a majority shareholding from Seven2.
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