89 percent organisations plan to employ AI in the next one year, Seagate survey finds

Digital storage solutions provider Seagate has conducted a survey on artificial intelligence (AI) titled "Data Pulse: Creating Space for Artificial Intelligence" across the Asia-Pacific Region. The survey explored the varying readiness levels of AI adoption and implementation by business segments across key markets the in Asia-Pacific region.

The study identified that 89 percent of organisations plan to implement AI technologies in the next 12 months, in areas including IT, supply chain logistics, product innovation, R&D, as well as finance and customer support. However, two-thirds of respondents indicated they struggled with where to start.

Ninety-six percent of senior IT professionals believe AI applications will drive productivity and business performance. However, an almost equal number of respondents (95 percent) believe further investments in their IT infrastructure are required to enable them to support their use of AI.

BS Teh, Senior Vice President of global sales and sales operations, Seagate, said in a press statement that the market is now discussing the advantages of AI in business and how corporations that use AI can gain a significant competitive edge.

"With its vibrantly growing economies, emerging pools of talent, and highly connected population, there are tremendous opportunities for APAC in reaping the benefits of AI. In order to take full advantage of the considerable benefits brought by AI, Asia-Pacific organisations should proactively look to develop robust infrastructure and ecosystems to support the needs of data analytics and real-time data processing."

Despite the robust adoption of AI technologies in the region, the survey identified that a significant number of organisations have not invested in the data and technical solutions required to support the technology fully. Eighty-nine percent of respondents are planning to implement AI solutions, but 31 percent do not think enough is being invested.

One in five organisations indicated they were not ready or able to handle the increasing data streams from the use of AI applications. Further, while 95 percent of respondents believe there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions with growing AI applications, 15 percent say they have not invested sufficiently in data storage to be ready for AI now or in the future.

Overall findings 

1. 96 perent of respondents in APAC believe that AI applications will drive productivity and business performance.
2. 74 percent of respondents have already begun implementing AI solutions, with 89 percent indicating they will implement AI technologies in the next 12 months.
3. 70 percent of organisations agree AI will have a significant impact on their industry within three years.
4. 95 percent of respondents believe there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions with growing AI applications, yet 15 percent say they have not invested sufficiently in data storage to be ready for AI now or in the future.
5. 94 percent of the respondents agree that data security is critical for AI, yet more than 10 percent do not update and review their data security strategy regularly.

The key challenges to AI implementation are identified as clear strategy and direction, IT infrastructure, budget, leadership team’s commitment, and talent. The key areas of AI implementation include:

1. IT - 73 percent
2. Supply Chain/Logistics – 51 percent
3. Production Innovation and R&D – 45 percent
4. Customer Support – 43 percent

The India scene

1. Nearly all respondents (90 percent) have implemented AI in one or more areas of their business – one of the highest in the region (vs. 74 percent in Asia Pacific). These areas include IT (83 percent), Customer Support (46 percent), Product Innovation/R&D (42 percent), and Supply Chain/Logistics (38 percent).
2. Almost everyone is planning to use or adopt more AI solutions in the next 12 months (99 percent).
3. 80 percent believe AI will have an apparent impact on their industries within 3 years.
4. 96 percent believe that AI solutions will generate an increasing amount of data, and nearly all respondents (95 percentt) believe that there is an increasing need for robust data storage solutions.
5. Most respondents struggle to know where and how to start their organisation’s development and implementation of AI (75 percent), and almost everyone agrees that they could do more if they had the right AI talent (97 percent).

The study included 600 respondents, comprising senior IT professionals in Australia, China, India, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Each market had 100 respondents across multiple industries such as ICT, Retail, Manufacturing, Construction, Financial Services, and Logistics.

Seagate engaged California-based non-profit organisation SPARC International to conduct the market research from December 2017 to January 2018.