Customising AI strategies through experiments

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is not being implemented optimally in South-east Asia. While AI adoption rates across the region have risen to 14 per cent in 2018 from just 8 per cent the year before, organisations are still struggling to make AI part of their strategic agenda.

According to a study by Cognizant, roughly two-thirds of executives in Europe and the US are enthusiastic about the potential benefits of AI and see AI as extremely or very important to their companies. However, 40 per cent of the same respondents also said that securing senior management commitment and adequate budget was extremely or very challenging. We're seeing similar trends in the Asia-Pacific region. The reality is that despite the widespread excitement, companies are not yet fully committed to giving AI a central role in advancing business objectives.

Business leaders must understand that AI adoption requires strategic preparation, focusing on embedding AI in the organisation's DNA. Data being the fuel for AI, businesses must carefully evaluate data when promoting their AI capabilities, keeping a keen eye on ensuring that technology leverages the right data and capabilities to be truly effective. AI delivers on its promise when large swathes of rich, big data are put to optimal use.