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Skills shortage and ethical concerns barring business from adopting AI, says IBM

More than 40% of large enterprises say they have already rolled out AI processes within their organisation

Some 33 per cent of businesses that said they are exploring or deploying AI within their organisation said a lack of skills and expertise is their biggest barrier to adoption

Ian Curran
Wed Jan 10 2024 - 05:00

Skills shortages and ethical concerns are among the top reasons cited by large businesses preventing them from rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) within their organisations, according to an IBM study. But many are already working with the technology and intend to increase their investment in it.

Based on a global survey of more than 8,500 information technology professionals, the consulting giant said generative AI, in particular, is presenting ethical quandaries for businesses.

Some 57 per cent of respondents said data privacy is their top concern when it comes to using tooks like ChatGPT, with another 43 per cent citing concerns about trust and transparency.

Overall, 33 per cent of businesses that said they are exploring AI within their organisation also said a lack of skills and expertise is their biggest barrier to adoption. Some 25 per cent said they were chiefly concerned about the ethical considerations while 23 per cent said AI projects are too difficult to integrate and scale.

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Yet, more than two-fifths of businesses globally said they have already integrated AI processes into their business with organisations in India, China and Singapore and the United Arab Emirates leading the charge. Some 40 per cent said they are yet to roll out AI but are experimenting with or exploring the technology.

“We see organisations leveraging AI for use cases where the technology can most quickly have a profound impact like IT automation, digital labour, and customer care,” said IBM senior vice-president Rob Thomas. “For the 40 per cent of companies stuck in the sandbox, 2024 will be the year of tackling and overcoming barriers to entry like the skills gap and data complexity.”

Separate research indicates that Irish businesses have been slower to adopt AI than their global counterparts amid concerns about data security and other issues. More than half of Irish and international business leaders believe generative artificial intelligence (AI) could cause “catastrophic cyber attacks” in the next 12 months, according to PwC’s digital trust insights survey, published last October.

Fewer than half of Irish respondents said that they understand the cyber risks posed by emerging technologies while just 45 per cent understand the cyber risks related specifically to generative AI and have included it in their formal risk management plans. That is significantly less than their global counterparts, at 58 per cent.

Ian Curran

Ian Curran

Ian Curran is a Business reporter with The Irish Times

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