Automation and AI adoption are rising among enterprises, driven by the need to enhance operations and efficiency. A recent survey conducted by Digitate reveals that 90% of IT leaders plan to deploy more automation and AI solutions in the coming year. While this rapid adoption is promising, companies must address workforce concerns and anxiety associated with these technological changes.
Survey highlights key trends
The report, titled “AI and Automation: Laying the Foundation for the Autonomous Enterprise,” is based on a survey of 601 IT decision-makers regarding their automation strategies. The findings shed light on the current landscape and the future direction of automation and AI implementation in the corporate world.
Acceleration of automation investments
One of the notable findings from the survey is the acceleration of automation investments. A staggering 26% of respondents express their ambition to transition to fully autonomous operations within five years, while an impressive 67% plan to implement more IT automation within 12 months. This rapid shift towards automation is driven by the growing complexity of IT environments, especially in the context of multi-cloud systems. 44% of those surveyed cited the escalating IT complexity as their top challenge, underlining the pressing need for automation.
Expanding focus beyond IT
Automation is not limited to IT operations alone. The survey shows that 89% of organizations plan to automate finance and customer support processes, demonstrating the breadth of automation’s potential impact across various departments. Furthermore, 74% of respondents are already experimenting with generative AI, while other technologies like workflow automation and AIOps are also being actively explored. This diversified approach to automation reflects a growing commitment to transforming businesses into autonomous enterprises.
Addressing workforce concerns
As automation gains momentum, concerns about workforce impacts come to the forefront. About 26% of IT leaders see job redundancy as a significant risk. However, a more balanced perspective emerges, with 60% of respondents acknowledging that automation has increased employee productivity and job satisfaction. This suggests that rather than replacing humans, automation is often seen as a tool to assist them in their roles.
Avi Bhagtani, Chief Marketing Officer of Digitate, emphasizes that reskilling employees, implementing automation gradually, and creating new job opportunities are strategies organizations employ to ensure that automation enhances productivity and cost-effectiveness while mitigating concerns about job loss. The survey further reveals that 33% of companies use automation to assist humans, and another 32% maintain a balance between human and automated tasks. This underscores the idea that employees can focus more on strategic tasks when automation handles mundane, time-consuming duties.
The many faces of automation
Automation is not a one-size-fits-all concept. The survey highlights various approaches organizations are considering:
Generative AI: Approximately 74% of organizations have experimented with generative AI, though deployment at an enterprise-wide scale may vary.
Workflow Automation: 68% have explored workflow automation.
AIOps: 65% are engaged with AIOps technologies.
These technologies are expected to complement each other as companies strive to achieve the goal of becoming autonomous enterprises by 2024.
Challenges on the automation journey
The survey uncovers several challenges IT leaders face on their path to automation. Aside from the aforementioned complexity of IT environments, 24% of respondents cite the time it takes to deploy automation as a significant hurdle. Similarly, the availability of suitable tools for automation and the lack of a clear roadmap for scaling automation use cases are challenges, each at 24% and 23%, respectively.
To navigate these challenges successfully, Bhagtani offers several recommendations for companies ready to embark on their automation journey. Prioritizing small, impactful projects that target specific pain points, mapping existing processes, identifying repetitive tasks, and selecting appropriate technologies for automation are crucial initial steps. Organizations should also concentrate on building a robust data foundation, address ethical considerations, and develop plans for workforce upskilling and reskilling. Furthermore, it’s essential to recognize that automation is an ongoing process, requiring continuous monitoring, measurement of results, and strategic adaptation to maximize its value and overcome obstacles.
Automation and AI adoption are swiftly gaining ground among enterprises, driven by the need for efficiency and competitiveness. While concerns about workforce impacts exist, the survey findings indicate that organizations are actively addressing these issues through strategies that enhance the partnership between humans and automation. Challenges mark the path to becoming an autonomous enterprise, but with careful planning and a commitment to reskilling and adapting the workforce, businesses can harness the full potential of automation to thrive in the evolving digital landscape.
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