Preparing for the 'golden age' of artificial intelligence and machine learning Posted on : Sep 27 - 2021

The latest ZDNet survey on AI actionability and accountability finds that IT teams are taking a direct lead, with most companies building in-house systems. However, oversight of AI-generated decisions is lagging.

Can businesses trust decisions that artificial intelligence and machine learning are churning out in increasingly larger numbers? Those decisions need more checks and balances — IT leaders and professionals have to ensure that AI is as fair, unbiased, and as accurate as possible. This means more training and greater investments in data platforms. A new survey of IT executives conducted by ZDNet found that companies need more data engineers, data scientists, and developers to deliver on these goals.

The survey confirmed that AI and ML initiatives are front and center at most enterprises. As of August, when ZDNet conducted the survey, close to half of the represented enterprises (44%) had AI-based technology actively being built or deployed. Another 22% had projects under development. Efforts in this space are still new and emerging — 59% of surveyed enterprises have been working with AI for less than three years. Survey respondents included executives, CIOs, CTOs, analysts/systems analysts, enterprise architects, developers, and project managers. Industries represented included technology, services, retail, and financial services. Company sizes varied.

Swami Sivasubramanian, VP of machine learning at Amazon Web Services, calls this the "golden age" of AI and machine learning. That's because this technology "is becoming a core part of businesses around the world."

IT teams are taking a direct lead in such efforts, with most companies building their systems in-house. Close to two-thirds of respondents, 63%, report that their AI systems are built and maintained by in-house IT staff. Almost half, 45%, also subscribe to AI-related services through Software as a Service (SaaS) providers. Another 30% use Platform as a Service (PaaS), and 28% turn to outside consultants or service firms.

Chief digital officers, chief data officers or chief analytics officers usually take the lead with AI and ML-driven output, with 50% of respondents identifying these executives as primary decision-makers. Another 42% say individual department heads play a role in the process, and 33% of surveyed organizations have corporate committees that exercise AI oversight. One-third of these organizations assign AI and ML responsibilities to data scientists and analysts. Interestingly, CIOs and CTOs only weigh in at 25% of the respondents' companies. View More