Companies across the globe are embracing artificial intelligence (AI) within their organisations — 51% of firms have already implemented or are expanding their implementation of AI. An additional 20% plan to implement AI in the next 12 months. However, to ensure success and mitigate the risks, CIOs must take the lead and engage the lines of business on their AI initiatives, modernise IT, and ultimately drive the AI agenda.

CIOs are optimally positioned to build the organisation's overall AI capabilities as the data, applications, server, accelerator, fabric, and storage infrastructures that they manage are critical for driving business value with AI. However, their IT teams will need to transform. CIOs need to invest in new software applications, infrastructure, and platforms necessary for AI, and modernise existing systems to better support the increasing number of AI initiatives. Simultaneously, they must track the business outcomes AI is driving, to sustain and grow further investments in AI.

Dell EMC commissioned Forrester Consulting to examine AI and its impact on the IT teams, technologies, and processes within their IT transformation efforts. Forrester conducted a global online survey with 353 respondents with decision-making responsibility for AI technologies to explore this topic.