63% OF GLOBAL IT LEADERS FEAR THEIR COMPANY WILL BE LEFT BEHIND IF THEY DON’T ADOPT AI

Michel Benhamou, director of CTRL BRAND by Lonsdale, shares his perspective:

“A recent survey by intelligent automation company ABBYY, reported in France by Stratégies under the headline ‘63% of French business leaders fear falling behind without AI,’ reveals that the fear of missing out (FOMO) significantly drives investment in artificial intelligence (AI).

With such widespread fear of being left behind, it’s unsurprising that IT decision-makers in the US, UK, France, Germany, Singapore, and Australia reported an average AI investment of $879,000 last year, even though a third (33%) of business leaders express concern over implementation costs.

Nearly all respondents (96%) in ABBYY’s AI Confidence Barometer on intelligent automation also indicated plans to increase their AI investment over the coming year, even as Gartner predicts that by 2025, 90% of GenAI deployments in enterprises will face slowed growth as costs outpace value.

So, what’s the takeaway here? Fear is not a sound driver of investment.

When companies invest based on irrational drivers (like fear), they tend to do so blindly, without a clear vision of goals or expected ROI. This often results in investments without assurance that the benefits will justify the cost (i.e., that the value created will outweigh the expense).

CTRL BRAND’s (free) advice: Don’t invest “in AI” per se; invest in your brand. Focus on specific projects or tools that address genuine needs for your brand and align with your strategy. Set clear, measurable success metrics for these tools. If those tools or projects happen to incorporate AI, all the better—it will make them more efficient and likely more cost-effective. But AI itself isn’t the core issue here.

Ultimately, the tool to create value isn’t “AI”; it’s your brand. That’s why at CTRL BRAND, we design tools that serve your brand above all. Whether it’s next-gen chatbots, AI-driven Brand Centers, or tools for image generation and creative assistance, they are always crafted to meet a specific need and designed to deliver more value than they cost.”