Last Updated: 20 December 2024
New research commissioned by IBM shows a growing trend: more companies are adopting AI tools, focusing on long-term investment strategies rather than quick fixes. According to a study surveying more than 2,400 IT decision makers (ITDMs), 85% of respondents report making progress in executing their 2024 AI strategies, while nearly half (47%) say they have already recorded positive returns on these efforts.
The study, conducted by Morning Consult in collaboration with Lopez Research, further reveals an important correlation: among companies currently using open-source AI tools, 51% report seeing positive ROI, compared to just 41% of those not embracing open-source.
This finding suggests that opting for open-source solutions can help organizations make their AI investments more financially viable.
As organizations refine their AI approaches, many are shifting their evaluation criteria. Traditional hard-dollar ROI measures, while still relevant, are increasingly balanced with productivity, innovation, and speed of implementation. The overall direction is clear: AI is here to stay, and companies are looking to optimize how they integrate it into their daily operations.
According to the study, 89% of surveyed organizations plan to increase or maintain their AI investments into 2025, with 62% intending to raise their spending even further. Of these, around two-fifths (39%) expect to increase their budgets by between 25% and 50%.
These stats upward trend signals a steady confidence in AI's potential to transform core business functions.
While hard cost savings remain a goal, the focus is becoming more strategic. Surveyed companies are channeling investments into areas like IT operations (63%), data quality management (46%), and product or service innovation (41%). In addition, organizations plan to make smarter use of managed cloud services (51%), hire specialized talent (48%), and incorporate open-source tools (48%) to optimize their AI strategies in 2025.
Interest in open-source ecosystems for AI is on the rise. Six in ten respondents already use open-source tools for AI, and this number is expected to grow.
Survey participants indicate that 41% of their AI solutions will be based on open-source in 2025, up from 37% in 2024.
Larger companies in particular are more likely to rely on open-source platforms for the majority of their AI implementations.
The link between open-source usage and positive ROI is notable. Organizations using open-source AI tools are not only seeing higher returns, but they also plan to launch more AI pilots. In fact, 38% of these firms intend to introduce over 21 pilots in 2025, surpassing the 26% of companies not yet relying on open-source solutions.
As AI deployments mature, companies are redefining success. A solid 85% of ITDMs say they are making progress on their AI strategies, with many moving from pilot to full production in less than a year. Instead of relying solely on financial returns, organizations prioritize faster software development (25%), rapid innovation (23%), and increased productivity time savings (22%) as success metrics.
"As organizations begin to implement AI at scale, many are placing greater stock in success metrics such as productivity gains, in part because traditional hard dollar ROI benefits have yet to show up on the balance sheets. Yet, companies continue to rapidly advance their AI strategies, with no sign of slowing down. Companies now recognize the value of defining specific use cases and optimizing AI projects. They are leveraging hybrid cloud strategies and open source to drive AI innovation and deliver financial returns."
Maribel Lopez, Lopez Research
Nearly half (47%) of surveyed companies say they are currently achieving positive ROI. Others are breaking even or anticipate turning positive within the next couple of years, reflecting a growing willingness to invest now for long-term gains. This steady progress underlines the industry’s evolving perspective: organizations increasingly treat AI as an engine of innovation and competitive advantage rather than a simple line item on the balance sheet.
Morning Consult conducted the survey from October 30 to November 13, 2024, among 2,413 IT Decision Makers in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Spain, India, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea. Respondents hold director-level or higher roles within technology functions at companies with more than 100 employees and have purchasing authority over IT or business consulting services. The data is unweighted and offers insights into emerging global trends in AI adoption and strategy.
Source: IBM Newsroom
