- SAS finds that EU SMEs are seeing better results from real-world AI implementations
- Compliance is still a major headache for one in four managers
- Preparation for the EU AI law could have helped
A new AI readiness report from SAS has claimed that European small businesses are among the most poised to achieve the greatest possible ROI from artificial intelligence compared to other global regions.
While North American SMBs perform better in planning, building and enabling, they fall short in actual implementation, indicating that European SMBs have moved beyond pilot projects to actual implementation.
However, the number of companies globally that are still in the earlier stages of AI readiness is much higher, with 37% considered “experimental” and 33% considered “opportunistic.” Nine out of 10 of the first (experimental) companies have not even got a formal AI strategy in place, the report reveals.
AI adoption is higher in Europe, but overall adoption is still low
Compared to the number of companies in the early stages of AI readiness, only 9% have fully integrated AI into strategy, operations and decision-making.
For many, it is the basic building blocks that still hold them back. Almost half say that data is still scattered across systems (45%) and that AI tools work independently of each other (46%). Compliance, security and risk management remain the biggest barrier for 24% of survey respondents.
“Organizations that treat leadership as a foundation rather than an obstacle are often the ones best positioned to execute,” SAS Global Channels SVP John Carey wrote.
The report also suggests that preparations for regulation such as the EU AI law could have better positioned companies to maximize their AI ROI, while other regions appear to be lacking in this area.
IDC Research VP Daniel-Zoe Jimenez urged companies to focus on aligning data, people and resources to avoid aborted pilots. “Experimenting with the technology is one thing. Implementing it strategically and sustainably is quite another.”
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