• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, September 19, 2018

Artificial intelligence is findings its way into countless aspects of the Internet of Things, but not all organizations are seeing it the same way.

An interesting new study categorizes the market into four segments and identifies some significant differences between the groups.

The study comprised a global survey of 3,100 business executives by the MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group.

The groups identified were:

• Pioneers -- organizations that both understand and have adopted AI
• Investigators – organizations that understand AI but are not deploying it beyond the pilot stage
• Experimenters – Organizations that are piloting or adopting AI without deep understanding
• Passives – organizations with no adoption or much understanding of AI

The first two groups account for half of the respondents with the last two account for the other half. However, the differences between the first (pioneers) and the last (passives) are stark.

Most (88%) pioneers increased investment in AI in the past year, compared to 19% of passives. The same is true of learning, with 69% of pioneers saying their understanding of AI has changed a lot in the past year compared to 11% of passives.

Most (85%) pioneers say developing a strategy for AI is urgent for their organization, compared to 39% of passives. Most (90%) pioneers have a strategy for what they are going to do with AI in their organization compared to 14% of passives.

The key is that pioneers and passives have a different view of the future.

In the next five years, 72% of pioneers expect to use AI to increase revenue rather than reduce costs. Fewer than half (48%) of passives expect to use AI to increase revenue.

Not everyone sees artificial intelligence the same way.