Alteryx, a leader in AI for enterprise analytics, released findings from the latest “Market Research: Attitudes and Adoption of Generative AI” report that surveyed 400 APAC IT business leaders and 600 members of the general public to gather insights that expose the differing perceptions of how the world is navigating and embracing genAI. While almost three-quarters (72%) of businesses say Generative AI adds business value, 49% of general public respondents are skeptical about its value, and 39% are fearful about its future.

Business Understanding of genAI Vs the General Public

• The research highlights similarities in genAI usage: 49% of the general public use genAI to search for information, and 49% of businesses use it for data analysis.
• Regarding sentiment, 81% of the general public feel positive about the increasing use of genAI to create content they consume, but 41% added that its use needs to be regulated.
• Interestingly, general public in Australia ranked ethics as the highest activity that genAI should not be involved in (55%), while business respondents ranked critical decision making as the highest activity (46%).
• 60% of business leaders reported that AI hallucinations negatively impact their overall trust in AI, while 57% of the general public say the same.

GenAI Is Starting to Deliver Business Value, But Challenges Need to Be Overcome

• In the last year, businesses have run an average of three pilots using genAI, and 82% say the projects were very or extremely successful.
• Businesses in Australia listed data privacy and security (43%), managing costs (41%), and security concerns (38%) as top challenges in scaling AI. 43% reported that ethical use guidelines were in place, higher than the regional average of 39%.
• Getting training right today is essential, especially since 27% reported that a lack of skilled talent is holding them back from scaling genAI across the organisation. Yet, 15% of organisations using genAI don’t offer any mandatory AI training.
• There is also a discrepancy in genAI’s impact on existing job roles with 68% of businesses feel that genAI will likely replace existing job roles in the organisation over the next two to three years, whereas only 32% of the general public believe genAI will lead to job losses.

Usage and Output Concerns and Challenges Remain

• Three in five (64%) businesses plan to continue to increase their investment in genAI technologies. However, members of general public are concerned that genAI will be used by hackers to commit crimes (44%) and give rise to fake news (37%).
• Almost half of the businesses (44%) say their organisation has experienced misinformation produced by genAI, with the materials delivered by genAI containing unexpected or unintended outputs (48%) and incorrect information (48%).
• Similarly, 56% of the general public reported that information produced by genAI was incorrect, and 37% believed it was outdated.

“Data-driven intelligence, paired with expertise in data analytics, is essential to unlock the potential of AI and optimise its application for driving business efficiencies,” said Heidi Badgery, Managing Director at Alteryx Australia and New Zealand. “High-quality, clean data forms the foundation of AI, compelling businesses to accelerate their data journey while maintaining ethical standards and compliance with data and AI related policies. Self-service platforms that empower non-technical users and decision-makers, regardless of their analytic experience, to access and analyse data with AI-powered analytics embedded with governance and security are crucial for fostering trustworthy genAI outcomes.”