2015 State of Artificial Intelligence & Big Data in the Enterprise

Transcription

1 2015 State of Artificial Intelligence & Big Data in the Enterprise

2 2 Table of Contents Introduction...3 Demographics...3 Executive Summary...4 Key Findings...5 Conclusions, Insights and Guidance...8 Respondent Breakdown...9 Learn About Narrative Science...10

3 3 Introduction Welcome to the first Narrative Science State of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in the Enterprise Report. There are many misconceptions about the impact artificial intelligence (AI) is having on the enterprise and world today, and this first-of-its-kind survey aims to set the story straight. Demographics For this report, Narrative Science surveyed 200 respondents, ranging in position from CEOs to Chief Innovation Officers to data scientists to managers and directors. We used an independent online survey source and did not survey any of our existing customers or members of our corporate marketing database. Organizations represented include several ranked in the Fortune 500, large enterprises with 10,000 or more employees and SMBs with less than 100. The businesses represented span many industries with 40 percent employing more than 5,000. See page nine for a complete breakdown of respondents.

4 4 Executive Summary Evil robots aren t coming anytime soon and likely not ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data, however, are here to stay. In the era of Big Data, where vast pools of information exist in silos, businesses have floated the term data-driven as a way to explain how they make decisions and shape business strategies. But enterprise executives are finding that existing data technologies alone aren t enough. They need an easy, agile way to access and analyze data in order to convert it into coherent, actionable narratives that tell the story of what s taking place in the world around them, how their businesses are functioning and the next opportunities for growth. Faced with the need to solve these challenges in a rapid, flexible way, many executives are learning that AI-powered solutions can step in to solve the data-use and comprehension problem, provide a competitive advantage, free their employees to focus on strategic initiatives and even create jobs. While this report reveals many key points, several jumped out as particularly salient: AI won t eliminate jobs AI powers business solutions Despite what headlines might suggest, the overwhelming majority of enterprise executives believe that AI is nothing to fear. Eighty percent indicated that AI makes workers more productive and creates jobs. As opposed to replacing workers, organizations are leveraging AI for machine learning, automated customer communications, data-driven reporting and business decision making. 80% of respondents believe AI improves worker performance and creates jobs Of all executives surveyed, 58 percent reported using Big Data technologies in their enterprise. Findings showed that organizations using AI-powered solutions in addition to Big Data technologies are best able to maximize their data. Fifty-nine percent of companies that use AI and Big Data technologies together are measurably better at turning data into information that can be used to solve business problems. 58% 59% We designed this survey to reveal how enterprise leaders, knowledge workers, data scientists and analysts view, use and benefit from AI in conjunction with Big Data. The results reveal not only the truth about the two technologies they also provided information that allowed us to deliver expert guidance. See page eight for conclusions and insights on how to leverage AI to turn data into actionable stories, increase worker productivity, enable better business decisions and make information available that anyone can use and understand.

5 5 Key Findings Defining AI Though enterprises are beginning to implement AI technologies, people still think of AI in many different ways. When asked how they define AI, 31 percent of respondents (the highest percentage) said it is technology that thinks and acts like humans. The remaining respondents split their responses across the following definitions: Technology that can learn to do things better over time: 25% Technology that can understand language: 7% Technology that can answer questions for me: 4% Anything that passes the Turing test: 1.5% All of the above: 28.5% Other: 3% Technology that thinks and acts like humans: 31% Perspectives on AI Despite AI s reputation as a potential threat to jobs, 80 percent of survey respondents noted that they believe AI improves worker performance and creates jobs. It s not just that respondents aren t afraid of AI. They re also aware of the concrete benefits that AI technologies can bring to their businesses. When asked about the most important benefit that AI should deliver to an enterprise, 44 percent the highest respondent percentage said it is automated communications that provide data that can be used to make decisions.

6 How AI is being used* Plenty of enterprises are already using AI in conjunction with Big Data technologies. According to the survey, 58 percent already have AI-powered solutions deployed. Of those respondents, 32 percent (the highest percentage) said voice recognition and response solutions are their organizations most widely used AI technologies. As noted above, 44 percent of respondents believe that AI can help with automated communications and data delivery that can be used for business decision making. The reality is that organizations are using AI for a variety of additional purposes: Machine learning: 24% Virtual personal assistants: 15% Systems used for decision support: 8% Automated written reporting and/or communications: 5% Analytics-focused applications: 5% Robotics: 4% All of the above: 8% 32% cite voice recognition and response solutions as their organization s most widely used AI technology Why AI is being used* 58% of enterprises that use Big Data technologies also use AI technologies Organizations are using Big Data and AI technologies together to accomplish a number of goals. The highest percentage of respondents (49 percent) said they use AI for automated communications providing business audiences with data they can use to make effective decisions. The second highest percentage of respondents (14 percent) reported using AI to deliver automated communications as well, but with the goal of providing consumer audiences with data they can use to make effective decisions. Remaining respondents are using AI in many ways, including automated data-driven reporting, monitoring and alerts regarding the health of their businesses, and to eliminate repetitive, timeconsuming manual processes. *Findings pertain to respondents reporting that they use both AI and Big Data technologies (58%). Only 2 respondents reported using AI technologies and not Big Data technologies. 6

7 How Big Data is being used Of all respondents, 58 percent of enterprises report that they have Big Data technologies deployed. When asked about the benefits of Big Data, 31 percent the highest percentage of respondents said that its primary benefit is providing information that improves decision making. But when it comes to how to manage and analyze Big Data, there is little consensus. 31% Data Visualization Thirty-one percent the highest respondent percentage say that data visualization apps are the most widely used data management and analytics technology used within their organization today. The second highest percentage of respondents, 23 percent, reported that business intelligence apps were the most widely used, while 21 percent said apps built on Big Data platforms such as Hadoop were used most frequently. 23% 21% Business Intelligence Big Data Apps such as Hadoop The benefits of using AI and Big Data together Of the organizations using AI and Big Data technologies together, 59 percent believe they are highly effective at turning data into information that can be used to solve business problems. In comparison, just 47 percent of organizations that employ Big Data technology without AI consider themselves highly effective. Fifty-three percent of organizations that use Big Data technology but not AI technology indicate that they are not effective to only moderately effective. 53% of organizations using Big Data technology but not AI technology report they are not effective to only moderately effective at producing problem-solving information. 59% of organizations that use AI technology in addition to Big Data technology consider themselves highly effective at turning data into information that can solve problems. 7

8 8 Conclusions, Insights and Guidance The results of this survey reveal a growing understanding of the partnership between Big Data, analytics and AI. If Big Data represents the pool of business information, AI helps distill what s relevant, explains why and makes it available to anyone. By implementing AI solutions, businesses are capable of turning their strategy conversations from data-driven to story-driven decision making. Where raw data is challenging and time consuming, AI-powered solutions can step in to provide analysis and quickly communicate findings to decision makers. AI is becoming mainstream This survey s findings confirm that most organizations are ready to free their workers from tedious tasks and use AI-powered solutions to tap into hidden stories that reveal information they can use to make better decisions and increase efficiency. AI should be embraced, not feared At 80 percent, the overwhelming majority of enterprise respondents welcome AI. There was less consensus on how to define AI. The largest percentage of respondents recognize that AI will be used to assist workers, not replace them. Though AI is capable of more, findings suggests that enterprises are aware of the potential business benefits of having consistent, on-demand information that improves decision making. According to the survey findings, embracing AI will help to achieve this goal. Big Data, analytics and AI work best together A partnership between Big Data, analytics and AI is needed for organizations that want to maximize the value of data. Technologies that allow enterprises to visualize and wrangle data are already employed in more than 58 percent of businesses a number that is likely to grow quickly. Despite widespread adoption in the enterprise, executives acknowledge that data analytics technologies are more effective at producing problem-solving information when paired with AI. If your organization has invested in Big Data and analytics tools such as BI apps, AI will enable an entirely new information capability that will improve decision making and increase efficiency. Businesses don t just need to visualize their data. They need to turn it into problem-solving stories that can be used to make decisions and communicate across a wide range of audiences.

9 9 Survey Respondent Breakdown Company Size by Employees 10,000 or more: 22.6% : 20% 5,000-10,000: 17.4% 2,500-5,000: 10.8% Company Type Private: 48.7% Public: 38.5% Government: 12.8% 1,000-2,500: 10.3% 500-1,000: 10.3% Less than 100: 8.7% Respondent Title CEO: 23.1% CIO: 16.9% CTO: 10.8% Data Scientist: 6.7% CMO: 5.1% CSO: 4.6% Manager: 4.6% Director: 4.1% Chief Innovation Officer: 2.6% Respondent Industry High Tech: 25.6% Other: 16.9% Healthcare: 12.3% Financial Services: 11.8% Manufacturing: 11.3% Government: 8.7% Retail: 8.2% Education: 5.1% COO: 2.6% Other C-Level Title: 2.6% VP: 2.1% Chief Compliance Officer: 2.1% Other: 12.3%

10 10 Learn About Narrative Science Narrative Science was started in order to solve a big problem giving people a fast and simple way to understand data. While companies have invested billions sourcing and aggregating data, spreadsheets and dashboards as mechanisms to understand data simply aren t cutting it. People want the stories that data supports about their operations, about their business, and about their life. What better way to tell stories than through language? That s why we re focused on creating exceptional software, starting with our advanced natural language generation platform, Quill, that transforms data into meaningful and insightful narratives that people can simply read. Quill enables organizations to spend less time crunching numbers and more time providing their employees and customers with actionable information that, ultimately, makes them smarter. For more information about Narrative Science and how Quill can help your organization, visit