Generative AI (GenAI) and AI will significantly transform industries in the future, according to 81% of global (UK: 75%) respondents to the Dell Technologies Innovation Catalyst Research. This rises to 91% (UK: 88%) for organisations reporting high (+25%) 2023 revenue growth and dips to 75% (UK: 65%) for those reporting low growth (1-5%), flat revenue or decline.

Based on responses from 6,600 IT and business decision makers across 40 countries (UK: 300), the research suggests that while there is broad optimism for AI and GenAI, the extent to which organisations are prepared for the rapid pace of change varies greatly. Eighty-two percent (UK: 81%) say they are well positioned competitively and have a solid strategy. 

At the same time, nearly half (global: 48%, UK: 41%) of the respondents are uncertain what their industry will look like in the next three to five years and nearly six in 10 (global: 57%, UK: 41%) report struggling to keep pace. Global results suggest the main barrier to keeping pace and driving innovation is the lack of the right talent (35%), followed by data privacy and cybersecurity concerns (31%). While in the UK, lack of talent is still a concern (40%), it is lack of time (44%) that poses the main challenge, followed by lack of budget (42%).
 

GenAI Moving from Ideation to Implementation

While globally, respondents expect GenAI to deliver the most value by improving IT security posture and productivity (52%), respondents in the UK see more value in the tech's abilities to streamline processes (34%). However, respondents also expressed awareness of the challenges to overcome. Globally, sixty-eight percent (UK: 68%) fear GenAI will introduce new security and privacy issues and 73% (UK: 72%) agreed that their data and IP is too valuable to be placed in a GenAI tool where a third party may have access. 

More broadly, responses suggest that organisations are working through GenAI practicalities as they transition from ideation to implementation. Globally, 58% (UK:71%) of respondents describe themselves as being 'early to mid-stage' in their GenAI journey. As organisations increase adoption, concern centres around understanding where risks reside and who is responsible for them. Seventy-seven percent (UK: 78%) agree that the organisation, rather than the machine, the user or the public, is responsible for any AI malfunction or undesired behaviour.  
 

Organisations are Rising to the Challenge of Today's Threat Landscape 

Cybersecurity continues to be a pain point for organisations. These concerns appear well-founded, as 83% (UK: 70%) of respondents say they have been impacted by a security attack in the past 12 months. The global majority (89%) are pursuing a Zero Trust deployment strategy, but when it comes to the UK, the figure drops to 69%. The research also found that 54% of UK respondents (global: 75%) agreed that their security operations mainly consist of patch management and security updates. This presents an opportunity for UK organisations to more widely adopt Zero Trust, a modern and holistic cybersecurity framework. 

The top three cited cybersecurity issues included malware, phishing and data breaches. Issues with phishing indicate a broader problem highlighted in the report: employees' role in the threat landscape. For example, 67% (UK: 66%) of respondents believe some employees go around IT security guidelines and practices because they delay efficiency and productivity, and 65% (UK: 51%) say that insider threats are a big concern. This indicates a need to focus on training, as employees are the first line of defence. 
 

The Right Technology Infrastructure will help Organisations to Succeed 

The research also reveals modern data infrastructure's critical role as technologies like GenAI gather pace and data volumes increase. Investing in a modern, scalable infrastructure was cited as the number one area of improvement for businesses to accelerate innovation. Most IT decision makers (global: 82%, UK: 66%) say they prefer to build, train or use GenAI models on-prem or by taking a hybrid approach. Seventy-three per cent of UK respondents agree that bringing AI to the data creates more value for the organisation because they can control it, the data is fresh, and they have secure access.

Most (global: 82%, UK: 78%) respondents recognise that data is the differentiator for AI integration, and their GenAI strategy must involve using and protecting that data. However, only 1 in 3 (global: 33%, UK: 34%) currently say they can turn data into real-time insights to support innovation efforts. This suggests that more data strategy rigour may be required to respond to the demands of GenAI and the data it will both need and create. Almost half globally (42%) also claim they are ready for the bulk of their data to come from the edge in the next five years, but this reduces to a quarter (24%) in the UK. 

Steve Young, UK SVP and MD, Dell Technologies, comments, "The UK has a long history of leading innovation and is well-placed to conscientiously advance transformative technology. This exciting new wave of disruption and innovation presents massive opportunities for the boldest UK organisations – those with innovation in their DNA. By combining their people's ingenuity with the right technology and processes, these organisations can take smart risks, stay agile, and carve out competitive advantages.

However, the pace of change and frequency of disruptions won't slow down. The research shows that, for some, the massive amounts of data generated every day combined with the pace at which AI is advancing feels overwhelming. Our message for those struggling with this is simple: innovation doesn't have to be intimidating. Any idea, big or small, can turn into innovation that fosters growth, improves efficiency, and drives productivity. 

Business leaders are not alone on this journey; technology leaders stand ready to help overcome the barriers to innovation, uncover new possibilities, and shrink time to value. By collaborating with vendors who can empower employees with technology and solve the most complex data challenges, UK organisations can turn ideas into innovation and innovation into outcomes. In this way, we can create a more sustainable, resilient, productive, and innovation-led UK economy."

Ian Heath, UK Channel and Distribution Lead, comments, " Building a reliable innovation muscle cannot be accomplished in a silo, or all at once, which means the journey from ideation to implementation has to be a collaborative one. As businesses face challenges around time, budget, talent, and data privacy, our channel partners are uniquely positioned to provide the support and solutions needed to overcome these hurdles. Looking ahead, we see an exciting opportunity for our channel community. With the increasing adoption of GenAI and a strong belief in its potential to streamline processes, enhance customer experience, and drive productivity gains, our partners play a pivotal role in facilitating this transformation."

Louise Quennell, UK CSG Director at Dell Technologies, added: "UK organisations understand that to stay competitive, they must equip their workforce with the right skills and tools; UK decision-makers name investing in modern, scaleable technology as the #1 way to drive successful innovation. Some point to outdated technology as a challenge to overcome, but the majority already provide technology based on individual needs, workloads, and preferences, coupled with the ecosystem of peripherals, software and services. However, with AI PCs promising to move beyond simply driving human productivity to driving human performance, it will be technology with embedded intelligence and powered management that will differentiate the winners from the also-rans. AI PCs will be central to every company that wants to remain competitive – we see enormous benefits for current and future AI initiatives and complex workloads to run locally on PCs, from reduced latency, cost-effectiveness, improved privacy and security, to sustainability benefits".

Dr Sally Eaves, UK Senator, WBAF and/or CEO Tomorrow's Tech Today comments, "UK organisations demonstrate an innovation-friendly attitude by prioritising efficiency in their GenAI implementation plans. By automating mundane tasks, AI/GenAI can free up the workforce to focus on more creative endeavours and drive bigger, better goals for the business.

However, there is room for improvement regarding cybersecurity preparedness and achieving a fully fortified security stance in the new age of AI. There is an opportunity for UK organisations to embrace a more holistic approach to cybersecurity, which involves partnerships with leading tech vendors to offer modern frameworks and expertise to significantly enhance defensive capabilities. 

For practical innovation in a volatile, swiftly evolving landscape, organisations must strengthen their capacity for innovation and anchor their strategies in their unique advantages: their workforce and data. Employee training emerges as a crucial area of focus, particularly given their role in the data threat landscape. The research suggests that the right technology infrastructure and a robust data strategy can help organisations succeed in this era of GenAI and AI."

Other research findings include:

• Skills: The shortage of talent required for innovation is a global issue, but it's felt more acutely in the UK, with 72% acknowledging this gap compared to the global average of 67%. This underlines the urgent need for learning agility, AI fluency, and creative thinking.
• Sustainability: Seventy nine per cent (UK: 72%) state they have a clear sustainability roadmap for their company with defined goals to reduce their carbon footprint. Improving energy efficiency is the top environmental sustainability priority for the UK (global: 45%, UK: 59%), with procuring and using more sustainable goods (using recycled materials, etc.) clinching the global number one spot (global: 45% UK: 43%). Regarding taking steps towards sustainability, 79% (UK: 67%) are experimenting with as a Service solutions to manage their IT environment more efficiently and globally. Globally, nearly three quarters (73%) are actively moving AI inferencing to the edge to become more energy efficient (e.g., smart buildings), but that figure reduces to 42% for the UK. Similarly, 74% of global respondents say they are using alternative cooling solutions to help reduce energy use in the data centre (e.g., air cooling and liquid cooling), but only 43% of UK respondents agree to doing the same. 
• Making IT a strategic partner: Currently, 81% (UK: 77%) of business decision makers have reasons to exclude IT decision makers from strategic conversations, yet both departments ranked a stronger relationship as the second most crucial improvement area.