KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 16): Only 13% of organisations in Malaysia are fully prepared to deploy and leverage artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technologies, according to Cisco’s inaugural AI Readiness Index released on Thursday. However, 33% of companies were categorised as chasers (those who are partially prepared), 53% of companies as followers, and only 1% of companies as laggards (not prepared).
The new research finds that while AI adoption has been slowly progressing for decades, the advancements in generative AI, coupled with public availability of this technology in the past year, are driving greater attention to the challenges, changes and new possibilities posed by the technology.
While 87% of respondents believe AI will have a significant impact on their business operations, it also raises new issues around data privacy and security. The Index findings show that companies experience the most challenges when it comes to leveraging AI alongside their data. In fact, 81% of respondents admit that this is due to data existing in silos across their organisations.
Nevertheless, companies in Malaysia are taking many proactive measures to prepare for an AI-centric future. When it comes to building AI strategies, 94% of organisations already have a robust AI strategy in place or are in the process of developing one.
This could be driven by the fact that almost all (99%) respondents said the urgency to deploy AI technologies in their organisation has increased in the past six months, with IT infrastructure and cybersecurity reported as the top priority areas for AI deployments.
“As companies rush to deploy AI solutions, they must assess where investments are needed to ensure their infrastructure can best support the demands of AI workloads,” said Liz Centoni, executive vice president and general manager of applications and chief strategy officer at Cisco.
“Organisations also need to be able to observe with context on how AI is being used to ensure return of investment, security, and especially responsibility.”
The index, which surveyed over 8,000 global companies, was developed in response to the accelerating adoption of AI, a generational shift that is impacting almost every area of business and daily life. The report highlights companies’ preparedness to utilise and deploy AI, showcasing critical gaps across key business pillars and infrastructures that pose serious risks for the near future.
Other key findings: