Who is generating the biggest buzz in a noisy market?
Everyone’s talking about AI, but we wanted to find out which brands are really cutting through the most in the market with our brand new AI adoption barometer. Nearly all (97%) respondents were exposed to AI-based content in January 2024, with OpenAI, Microsoft and Google most often cited. Driving this of course is the continued buzz around OpenAI’s Chat-GPT tool. It also reflects the launch of new products and releases: Google announced Gemini, its new AI model, in December 2023, with Microsoft announcing a new generative AI solution for retailers in January 2024.
However, outside of the top three, there is a drop off in awareness of AI content from other vendors. Several brands seemingly have work to do to increase awareness of their AI solutions as they jostle to become top of mind in a noisy market.
How are brands’ AI solutions and messaging being perceived?
It’s one thing to successfully reach your target audience, it’s a whole other challenge to effectively deliver your message and shape a positive perception. So how do our IT and business leaders view the brands whose AI-related content they’ve seen? Are they considered innovative, relevant and trustworthy in what they say and do?
It’s no great surprise that given the very cutting-edge nature of AI, perceptions are generally strongest for innovation, particularly for AWS and OpenAI. Most also scored these brands well in how relevant their solutions are to their needs. However, the exception to this is Meta, where respondents appear to require more convincing. However that could be a consequence of lower reported exposure to AI content from Meta.
Most critically in the long run, it is trustworthiness where the biggest room for improvement is highlighted. Ratings for trust are generally lower than that of innovation and relevance across AI brands. Interestingly given it was the brand most had seen content for, OpenAI’s, trust rating was lower than its peers. Undoubtedly the press coverage of what their Chat-GPT tool can do may be stirring a mix of emotions in its audience.
In a market where brand innovation and relevance are apparent, is trust the battleground for brands to embrace? The opportunity for a brand to stand out from the crowd in demonstrating their trust credentials is there for the taking.
What help do IT and business leaders want most from AI technology vendors?
Among the wealth of qualitative insights we gathered from asking this question, a core need emerged: show us the proof. The broad, disruptive, transformative power of AI for change is generally well known. However, it seems like IT and business leaders are looking for more specifics. What’s in it for them and their department? How can it help, not hinder their work? And how can these solutions be tailored to particular industry contexts?
But of course the needs and pain points don’t just stop there. Other common requirements from respondents include more reassurance around data privacy and security, improving training, increased support/consultancy and reduced barriers to adoption.
How will these trends change over time?
Look out for lots more in our on-going AI Barometer series as we track these trends throughout 2024. In these early results we’ve seen an initial picture emerge of which brands are cutting through and how trust may prove the difference maker from one to another. We’ve seen how proof points are needed to help fully realise AI adoption for organisations – alongside ensuring the necessary security and support are provided.
We’ll be back in April with insight into trends and topics emerging from Q1.
Stronger insights. Smarter strategy.
Harnessing B2B research insights like these can give your organisation the insight edge. From identifying market trends and attitudes; uncovering what your audience really thinks about your brand and messaging; and helping deliver impactful content that speaks to their needs.
Discover more of our work here and get in touch to talk about how research can help you in 2024.
Methodology
100 IT and business decision makers were interviewed in the UK in January 2024. All came from organisations across a range of private and public sectors. 50% of respondents were from organisations with 3,000 or more employees globally.