AI Adoption in the Enterprise 2021

Chapter 1. AI Adoption in the Enterprise 2021

During the first weeks of February, we asked recipients of our Data and AI newsletters to participate in a survey on AI adoption in the enterprise. We were interested in answering two questions. First, we wanted to understand how the use of AI grew in the past year. We were also interested in the practice of AI: how developers work, what techniques and tools they use, what their concerns are, and what development practices are in place.

The most striking result is the sheer number of respondents. In our 2020 survey, which reached the same audience, we had 1,239 responses. This year, we had a total of 5,154. After eliminating 1,580 respondents who didn’t complete the survey, we’re left with 3,574 responses—almost three times as many as last year. It’s possible that pandemic-induced boredom led more people to respond, but we doubt it. Whether they’re putting products into production or just kicking the tires, more people are using AI than ever before.

Executive Summary

• We had almost three times as many responses as last year, with similar efforts at promotion. More people are working with AI.

• In the past, company culture has been the most significant barrier to AI adoption. While it’s still an issue, culture has dropped to fourth place.

• This year, the most significant barrier to AI adoption is the lack of skilled people and the difficulty of hiring. That shortage has been predicted for several years; we’re finally seeing it. ...