Reading today’s business media, you might think that companies worldwide are rapidly becoming reliant on artificial intelligence (AI). The headlines are full of stories about technological advances, reports from congressional hearings and breathless think pieces about how AI will revolutionize the world for good or ill. But how much is it actually being used?
According to an October 2024 pulse survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 49% of technology leaders said that AI was “fully integrated” into their companies’ core business strategy, with one-third saying AI was fully integrated into products and services.
In other industries, however, the numbers might be more modest. Research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau from late 2023 into early 2024 declared that the percentage of businesses that claim to employ AI has risen to 5.4% from 1.7%, with a forecasted rate of 6.6% estimated by the fourth quarter of 2024. Clearly, the number is going up, but not at the astronomical rate you might suspect given the news coverage.
It’s important to point out that neither of these numbers provide a complete picture. The Census Bureau report specifically tracks the direct effects of AI on the U.S. economy — in particular, whether companies are using AI to produce goods and services. As a separate study by Forbes suggests, there are plenty of other ways companies are using AI to change how they work within their own virtual walls.
Nearly all of the Forbes survey respondents (97%) “believe ChatGPT will help their business.” Maybe only a small percentage of companies are putting AI to work to produce revenue, but nearly half are experimenting with it on an operational level, and nearly all businesses are interested in its potential. For instance, Forbes’ survey reports that more than 50% of business owners are using AI for cybersecurity and fraud management, not for producing products and services per se, but for preventing loss.
When it comes to the adoption level of professional communicators at organizations, 46% say they’re using AI to support internal communication efforts. “We’ve seen from experience with our own clients that there is still a wide range of adoption levels when it comes to using AI in internal communication,” says Liz Taff, VP, Digital Employee Experience at ROI. “Each company has different needs and priorities, so there’s no single, correct way for communications teams to incorporate AI tools into their workflows.”
What’s not optional, however, is a company having a point of view on AI. “If you haven’t already started an internal discussion about if, where and how to engage with AI in your communication processes to improve productivity and achieve KPIs, now is the time,” says Taff. The reality is that, just like the internet or email, AI as a new communication tool is here to stay and an approach to its adoption is not a question of if, but when.
We’ve observed that most companies fall into one of four general approaches when it comes to AI adoption:
- Full tilt: A small but growing number of companies that have already made AI a business imperative are embracing tools as soon as they launch and generating FAQs and policies as they go.
- Active trials: In line with the Forbes research, at least half of large global companies we work with have made top-down decisions to actively trial generative AI tools before deploying them companywide.
- Focused pilots: Many companies are piloting select platforms within individual groups like communications and IT to serve department-specific use cases.
- Fully restricted: Some companies are restricting all use of AI until they stand up to internal proprietary systems.
Whatever approach your company chooses, there are going to be questions about what tools to adopt, how to deploy them, how to measure their efficacy and where to look next. Regardless of where you stand, we have a few quick tips to help you find your feet:
- Use tools that work for you. It’s not one size fits all. Choose tools and sequences thoughtfully, leaning into what’s adaptable and works with your own workflows and organization.
- Add the human touch. AI applications are just tools. Blend your own insights, strategy and creativity together with AI’s efficiency to make communication tasks easier.
- Embrace evolution. AI technology is changing quickly and constantly. Stay agile and build digital fluency by continuously learning and adapting to new tools and methodologies.
Regardless of where you currently are on your AI journey, our interactive ROI workshop “Using AI in communications” can help you find the right ways for your team to embrace these tips and incorporate them into your internal communications approach. This workshop and others can be delivered through an online session or onsite at your organization.
Visit our workshops page for details and reach out for further discussion!
