Business Technology Roundtable

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the business technology arena at breakneck speed, a fascinating paradox emerges: the more sophisticated our AI tools become, the more crucial human skills become in determining organizational success. The latest Fortune AIQ Advisory Board survey reveals that forward-thinking companies are investing in AI tools and fundamentally reimagining their approach to talent acquisition, employee development, and organizational culture around AI capabilities. This shift represents more than a technological upgrade; it's a fundamental transformation in how businesses conceptualize competitive advantage. The companies that will thrive in the AI-driven economy are those that recognize AI proficiency as a core competency, not merely a nice-to-have technical skill. The New Enterprise Hiring Paradigm The survey data paints a compelling picture of this transformation. An overwhelming 69 percent of respondents consider AI skills either "very important...

The emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) represents a pivotal moment in business technology evolution, with early enterprise adoption showing promising results according to PwC's latest Global CEO Survey . While much attention has focused on potential future impacts, concrete productivity, and revenue gains are already materializing across industries, suggesting we're at the beginning of a transformative wave in how organizations operate. Current State of Enterprise Adoption The PwC research findings, drawing from 4,701 CEOs worldwide, reveal encouraging early returns from GenAI tools and associated use case investments. Notably, 56 percent of CEOs report that GenAI has improved employee time efficiency, while about one-third have seen increased revenue (32 percent) and profitability (34 percent). These performance metrics, while slightly below initial expectations, demonstrate that organizations are finding practical ways to extract value from the latest technology. Perhaps most...

The scale of fraud targeting U.S. federal government programs has reached staggering proportions, demanding immediate attention from policymakers and technology leaders alike.  Recent findings from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveal that federal government fraud losses range from $233 billion to $521 billion annually – representing 3 to 7 percent of federal obligations. This massive drain on public resources demands innovative solutions and a fundamental shift in how government agencies approach fraud prevention. If fraud was stopped, the savings could eliminate the annual Social Security Trust Fund deficit, and support the departments of Homeland Security and Commerce, with enough left over to fund most of the food assistance programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Growing Sophistication of Fraud The challenge has grown particularly acute in recent years, with fraudsters becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approaches. During the pandemic, we...

The rapid evolution of Generative AI (GenAI) platforms has sparked a transformation in how progressive organizations leverage their institutional knowledge and enhance productivity. McKinsey's development of its internal GenAI platform, named Lilli, provides valuable insights into how large enterprises can successfully implement practical solutions while prioritizing user adoption and maintaining high security and quality standards. McKinsey's approach to developing Lilli is noteworthy for its methodical, user-centric implementation strategy. Starting with a small team of just four people that has since grown to over 150, the firm focused on solving specific operational challenges across four key domains: team performance, client development, service delivery, and post-project communications. Why Purposeful Adoption Planning Matters Rather than attempting to solve every possible use case at once, this focused approach has proven instrumental in the platform's successful ad...

Some executives have taken the lead, while others sit on the sidelines. The global business landscape is undergoing a seismic shift driven by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). New GenAI tools, with their ability to produce human-quality text, code, and multimedia content, present a once-in-a-generation opportunity for you to propel your organization toward unprecedented innovation and value creation. The Gap Between Leaders and Laggards is Widening A recent McKinsey report paints a concerning picture: companies with robust digital and AI capabilities are already accelerating ahead of many traditional competitors. These leaders boast total shareholder returns two to six times higher across sectors. This isn't simply a coincidence. It's a testament to the compounding advantage gained by those who've invested in building a comprehensive AI arsenal. These organizations have transformed themselves into AI powerhouses. From crafting strategic roadmaps to cultivating spe...

As founder of the Business Technology Roundtable, I can advise senior executives on rapidly emerging technologies and their potential impact on digital business transformation. One of the most significant and potentially disruptive technologies today is Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). Powered by advances in machine learning, this technology refers to AI systems that can generate new content, such as text, images, audio, video, and more in response to prompts from humans.   The pace of advancement in Generative AI has been astounding. Since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, tool capabilities have continued to grow at breakneck speed. Business interest has followed suit – attracted by the vast potential to drive efficiency, productivity, innovation, and digital business growth. However, along with the enthusiasm, important questions remain regarding effective adoption approaches, risk management, workforce retraining, and ethical implications. To better...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption is accelerating globally, transforming business and government. However, a new study by Cisco Systems reveals that while intentions to adopt AI are rising sharply, actual abilities to effectively leverage these technologies continue to lag. An overwhelming 97 percent of business leaders state that the urgency to deploy AI technologies has increased significantly or somewhat at their organizations in just the past six months. This mounting urgency is coming from the top-down, with over 50 percent saying it is being driven by their CEO and board of directors. Meanwhile, the C-suite is being tasked to prepare for action. As a result of this mounting pressure, 95 percent of organizations now have an AI strategy in place or under development. Looking ahead, 84 percent believe AI will have a major impact on their business operations. New AI Deployments Underway Many organizations have already started an AI deployment, prioritizing IT infrastructure and d...

Digital Transformation has become an essential part of modern businesses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of change. With the continued rise of Remote Work and the adoption of a Distributed Workforce model, leaders have aspired to re-evaluate their digital strategies and invest in technologies that allow them to remain competitive. Business Technologists play a crucial role in this ongoing transformation, as they are the ones responsible for identifying and implementing technology solutions that can improve business processes and drive meaningful and substantive innovation. What is a Business Technologist? Business technologists are professionals who have a deep understanding of both commercial operations and business technology. They are responsible for bridging the gap between these two areas, helping savvy leaders leverage technology to achieve their goals. This change management process can include everything from identifying new technology trends to designing an...

Business technology can be the great enabler that differentiates an enterprise from their mainstream peer group. Make no mistake, delivering digital business value at scale can be achieved. The essential change management process begins with fearlessly embarking on a bold initiative. Granted, implementation has many steps and takes time. In fact, successful business transformations can take several years to complete. According to Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) latest research findings, they require drawing on three key enablers: ensuring C-Suite alignment, developing the necessary capabilities, and maintaining always-on execution. Executive leaders who establish these key enablers will scale digital business solutions successfully and also embed digital transformation approaches and ways of working into their operating models. They will become the established market leaders in their sector to benefit from superior value creation. Leveraging Cloud Computing Services for Digital Growth ...

We’ve apparently reached an inflection point with the development and execution of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) corporate policies. The role of business leadership in sustainability issues around climate change has received increasing attention from companies and their key stakeholders. But over the past year, something changed for CEOs worldwide, and sustainability talk turned into action. Continued disruption -- including upheaval and disruptions from the global COVID-19 pandemic -- has society at large calling for a new approach to economic advancement and business priorities. According to a recent survey by Oxford Economics, when it comes to optimizing opportunities and delivering business value, some CEOs have discovered an additional step. These savvy CEOs report deliberately integrating their Sustainability and Digital Transformation efforts. Digital Transformation and ESG Drive Growth For organizations with a clearly defined sustainability strategy and the right ...

Across the globe, increased Internet use will fuel new growth in the Global Networked Economy . Mobile Internet users will create new demands and expectations for mobile networking infrastructure. This ongoing growth trend is highlighted by the adoption and use of mobile applications (apps). Meanwhile, enterprise C-suite leadership teams contemplate digital transformation agendas that are enabled by the significant new technology investments by telecom network service providers. That, in turn, will drive accelerated enterprise investment in business technology-based innovations.  Executive Summaries for Digital Transformation Fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications will support more than 10 percent of the world’s mobile connections by 2023, according to the latest Cisco Annual Internet Report. The average 5G speed will be 575 megabits per second or 13 times faster than the average mobile connection. With advanced performance capabilities, 5G will deliver more dynamic m...

In many organizations today, Information Technology (IT) is more than a utility, it has become an essential platform for their ongoing business development. Therefore, they crave a superior IT experience for their employees and other key stakeholders. For most, cloud computing is a fundamental ingredient of the digital transformation agenda. The common commercial use cases for public cloud services have already been exploited by many organizations. Front-office applications -- such as customer relationship management, online commerce, and numerous consumer-facing apps -- constitute the bulk of the workloads that reside on cloud service provider shared infrastructure. These initial use cases have validated the proven benefits of cloud computing architectures that are appealing to software developers -- including speed of deployment, dynamic resource acquisition, application elasticity, and service reuse across workloads. Leveraging the inherent benefits of cloud service offerings,...

Now more than ever, CEOs and their leadership teams must counter the threat of digital disruption. Within the evolving global economy, debate and analysis about business technology adoption must result in purposeful action. Even the trailing organizations are prepared to learn something actionable from their trailblazer peers. The following statistics and insights are excerpts from the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) Global C-suite Study (19th edition). IBM’s latest worldwide study draws on input from 12,854 respondents across 6 C-suite roles, from 112 countries. The C-suite is evenly divided on whether the focus in the future will shift from established markets to new ones. In two areas, however, C-suite executives stand in close agreement: how they will change their value propositions and scale their value chains. Sixty-eight percent of C-suite executives expect organizations to emphasize customer experience over products. Sixty-three percent believe that most organizat...

Digital technologies have altered how people and businesses interact. The potential for dislocation from ongoing digital transformation has created unprecedented levels of C-suite discussion. The decisive market leaders have heeded the warnings and taken bold actions. That said, if you’re one of those Chief Technology Officers (CTO) who previously responded to this scenario by making small incremental adjustments to your IT agenda, then you’re potentially at risk. Any relief from those prior tweaks tend to be short-lived. The same issues will likely resurface. An Introduction to Digital Reinvention Back in 2013, the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) introduced the concept of ‘Digital Reinvention’. Why is that concept noteworthy? Markets had evolved from organizational centricity, in which manufacturers and service providers defined a predictable state, into a radically different environment described as the everyone-to-everyone (E2E) economy. The E2E economy has four dist...

Are you open to new ideas, and given a compelling choice are you really prepared to change? That’s what informed CEOs are asking their C-suite leadership team. The context of those questions is about determining who is most qualified to guide the organization’s digital transformation journey. It’s also about setting expectations for C-level executives to partner. IT and business leaders must acknowledge that they’ve likely reached a significant turning point. Business technology advances are disrupting the legacy status quo and bringing huge market turmoil in their wake. Industries are converging, and unfamiliar competitors are surfacing. Granted, that convergence is creating opportunities for growth by shifting from products and services made by solo entities to new cross-sector customer experiences built via strategic partnerships. But it’s also intensifying market competition. One company’s convergence can become another’s encroachment. So, how do you navigate through this laby...