“Growing Up: Navigating Gen AI’s Early Years” is a survey of more than 800 senior business leaders in large organizations that reveals a seismic shift in their attitudes and applications of AI in just a short time. In 2023, the first year of the survey, only 37% reported using AI weekly. That number has risen to 72% in 2024. Negative perceptions, namely worry and skepticism, are softening as decision-makers explore how this evolving technology can help their firms become better. According to the survey, generative AI is being widely deployed across functions, even in departments such as marketing and human resources that were initially slower to adopt it. The highest use is in document and proposal writing and editing with 64%, followed closely by data analyses and analytics at 62%. Other high-use functions include customer service and support (58%), fraud detection and prevention (55%), and financial forecasting and planning (53%).
