Meaningful artificial intelligence (AI) deployments are just beginning to take place, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com). The research group’s 2018 CIO Agenda Survey shows that 4% of CIOs have implemented AI, while a further 46% have developed plans to do so.

"Despite huge levels of interest in AI technologies, current implementations remain at quite low levels," said Whit Andrews, research vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "However, there is potential for strong growth as CIOs begin piloting AI programs through a combination of buy, build and outsource efforts."

As with most emerging or unfamiliar technologies, early adopters are facing many obstacles to the progress of AI in their organizations. For instance, Gartner predicts that by 2020, 20% of organizations will dedicate workers to monitoring and guiding neural networks.