Turning early AI adoption into strategic long-term success means forging the path ahead.
Most companies are still navigating the early stages of AI adoption. Pilots have been launched, productivity gains evaluated, and technological investments made.
But this is only the beginning. Slalom’s 2024 survey of 200 C-suite executives finds that many organizations are now at a critical crossroads: while AI investment is rising and innovation is accelerating, too many leaders risk falling into the trap of complacency, satisfied with early wins rather than pursuing the transformative potential AI offers. The real challenge isn’t just adopting AI as a differentiator—companies must ensure their AI strategies are actionable at every level of the business, turning bold visions into sustainable, transformative outcomes.
The time for incremental change is over. Now is the moment to fundamentally reimagine roles, revolutionize processes, and cultivate the human skills that will unlock AI’s true potential. Yes, this transformation will be complex and sometimes messy—but that’s the price of pioneering. Embrace the challenge, navigate with agility, and turn obstacles into opportunities. The first steps in AI have been taken, but the journey is far from over. Will you choose to follow, or will you forge the path that shapes the future?
Most companies are still in the early stages of AI adoption
If you feel like you’re just beginning to find your AI stride, you’re not alone. Despite the media hype and rapid advancement of generative AI (GenAI) over the last two years, many companies are still in the early stages of AI adoption—exploring pilot projects and focusing on boosting productivity. In fact, 79% of organizations are running pilot AI initiatives, and 68% have already seen productivity gains.
Where is your organization in its AI transformation journey?
While 69% of organizations remain in the early stages of AI adoption, focused on pilot projects and productivity gains, only 31% are beginning to capitalize on AI’s potential for differentiation and disruption through more advanced applications.
While 69% of organizations remain in the early stages of AI adoption, focused on pilot projects and productivity gains, only 31% are beginning to capitalize on AI’s potential for differentiation and disruption through more advanced applications.
These numbers demonstrate the momentum of early AI adoption, bringing organizations to a crucial juncture. Now, leaders face a defining decision: continue along the established path of incremental productivity gains or blaze a new trail of AI innovation. For example, while 70% of companies have adopted AI assistants, only 26%-28% are employing them for more advanced use cases in predictive maintenance, manufacturing or logistics process automation, or personalized marketing/product recommendations. Leaders who fail to think strategically about AI as a differentiator may soon find themselves outpaced by those who do.
“Last year, many of our clients focused on achieving productivity gains through AI technology,” explains Ali Minnick, general manager of business advisory services and solution innovation at Slalom. “While individual users have become better and faster at specific tasks, many organizations haven’t yet taken the next step to ask: What do we do with this newfound time and productivity? The most progressive clients we work with are now starting to rethink the future of work—not just in terms of jobs and roles, but around discrete skills and tasks. They’re asking: Where are humans best suited to contribute, and where do we need complementary technology to truly excel?”
The opportunity is clear: Companies that make AI a core part of their strategy and fully embrace its potential will shape the future, unlocking greater innovation and leaving competitors scrambling to keep up.
This is your moment to lead through differentiation.
The AI revolution is unfolding faster than any previous technological shift, making this a time for bold action, not complacency. Though the terrain ahead may look daunting, pressing forward is essential. The true value of AI lies not just in improving productivity but in how it’s uniquely applied to drive lasting, transformative change.