EVENTS Microsoft Future Decoded
37% of business leaders admit to
not having a clear or formal AI
strategy in place
Artificial Intelligence –
Bold Strategies Required
The message from Microsoft this coming year is that the chasm between businesses embracing AI and those
that are not is widening. Leaders need to step up and put the infrastructure in place to use AI and ensure
Britain’s competitiveness on a global stage
When it comes to the
Future Decoded events
Microsoft are taking
us on a journey that
becomes a little clearer when you
look back at a start point of 2016
when the whole show was about
the Digital Transformation
(DX) road trip – we were at the
dawn of the fourth industrial
revolution that began in the
mid-20th Century; mass scale
computing, unprecedented
processing power, computer
storage, the rise of the internet,
etc. where the lines were blurring
between physical, digital, and
biological frontiers.
Microsoft said DX ‘will
fundamentally alter the way
we live, work and relate to each
other’.
e 2017 event gave us
‘Creating a Culture of DX’.
It warned enterprises about
disruption and cautioned them
on gaining cloud skills - but
basically was a launch event
for their latest Surface device.
I missed it because of a holiday
but 2018 was a leap forward with
the theme ‘Maximising the AI
opportunity’; how to harness the
potential of AI eectively and
ethically.
Overall, last year we were
given industry expert opinion
to help us begin our own AI
journey – from building an
AI plan and preparing sta, to
selecting and implementing the
right solutions.
is year that message is
going through the gears.
Cindy Rose, CEO, Microsoft,
UK, says “Articial Intelligence
is the engine of the 4th industrial
revolution and is at the heart
of the digital transformation
currently reshaping business,
government and society. Little
surprise, then, that the global AI
market is expected to be worth
up to $15.7 trillion by 2030.”
“Business leaders need a bold
competitive strategy if they
are to remain competitive on a
world stage – and AI should be
central to this.”
Underpinning this are many
references from Microsoft to
proven business performance
benets for those organisations
that are using AI, compared to
those that aren’t.
According to Microsoft, those
that are using AI are performing
on average 11.5% higher than
those that are not.
• ey are more productive
(11%)
• Have higher performance (12%)
• Experience better business
outcomes (11%)
ere’s another contrast. Last
year Microsoft reported that
41% of business leaders believed
their business model would
cease to exist in just ve years’
time. is pessimism has been
replaced by an AI-driven sense of
purpose.
Today these businesses want
to be leaders in AI innovation
(only 18% disagreed), yet:
• Only 26% believe the UK has
the socio-economic structures
in place to become a world
leader in AI
• 37% of business leaders admit
to not having a clear or formal
AI strategy in place
It is believed that a lack of
understanding, compounded
by unprecedented economic
uncertainty, are holding UK
businesses back:
• Just 32% of leaders
understand the breadth and
depth of AI relevant skills
needed to be successful in the
next 12 months
• 96% of employees say they
have never been consulted
by their boss about the
introduction of AI
“e chasm between
businesses embracing AI and
those that are not is widening.
Leaders must step up and put
the infrastructure in place to
use AI and ensure Britain’s
competitiveness on a global
stage.”
Mind the Gap
12 months ago Microsoft was
cautioning enterprises about
the gap between intent for AI
projects and taking action to get
these projects under way.
A year later there is a much
dierent story according to
Mitra Azizirad, Corporate
Vice President for Microsoft
AI, who says that, “Against a
backdrop of uctuating growth
forecasts, ongoing political
uncertainty and ever more rapid
digital disruption, we can reveal
AI-led digital transformation
increasingly holds the key
to gaining and retaining a
competitive edge – for individual
organisations and for the UK
itself.”
“Put another way, it is clear
that simply getting started
is no longer enough. Rather
than experimenting with
AI for individual projects or
business areas, organisations
that can move to full-scale
AI Tech in use in UK - Microsoft 2019 implementation have an >
44 | Comms Business Magazine | November 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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