Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2024 Kochi: Day 3 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, taking place this week in Kochi, India. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference. You can read the highlights here from Day 1 and Day 2.

On Day 3 of the conference, we are sharing 10 best practices for scaling generative AI across the enterprise, discussing CEO concerns for 2025, measuring and quantifying the cost, risk, and value of AI initiatives, and exploring the blueprint to unlock digital employee experience. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

• Gartner Forecasts India IT Spending to Reach $160 Billion in 2025
• Gartner Says 80% of Non-Executive Directors Believe Current Board Practices and Structures Are Inadequate to Oversee AI

Presented by Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

Generative AI (GenAI) promises to be one of the most transformative technology trends of this decade. In this session, Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed the current state of GenAI and emerging best practices for safely deploying it in an enterprise.

• “Through 2025, at least 30% of GenAI projects will be abandoned after proof of concept due to poor data quality, inadequate risk controls, escalating costs or unclear business value.”

• “GenAI initiatives need to scale from a few users to thousands, and eventually be deployed across the enterprise. Scaling GenAI requires a systematic approach to build versus buy decisions for the many potential use cases in the organization.”

• “GenAI creates not only new opportunities, but also risks. Without a clear responsible AI framework, organizations will struggle to balance the benefits and risks of this technology.”

• “Unlike traditional AI, GenAI is poised for active and direct use by a large segment of employees. This broad deployment requires a strong emphasis on AI literacy: the ability to use AI in context with competency to identify relevant use cases.”

• “A product-centric delivery model, where timelines are ongoing and designed to continuously enhance customer value until the service or product is phased out, is critical for GenAI applications.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Sonika Choubey at sonika.choubey@gartner.com.

Presented by David Furlonger, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are implementing new post-crisis strategies to address geopolitical risks and talent challenges, leveraging AI and sustainability. In this session, David Furlonger, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, unveiled findings from the Gartner global CEO survey and highlighted the agenda shifts that Chief Information Officers (CIOs) should anticipate next to support CEO’s growth plans.

• “74% percent of CEOs identify AI as the top disruptive technology expected to impact their industries over the next three years, aiming to use it as a critical enabler of AI-enabled dynamic capacity.”

• “CEOs expect that AI will increase the span of control of their people managers by 18%.”

• As a CIO, focus on these five enablers of dynamic capacity to support CEO growth plans:

  • Geographic

  • Operational

  • Customer

  • Risk

  • People

• “AI is driving a new era of autonomous business, yet 67% of CEOs say their operating models are not fit for an AI-driven world, highlighting an urgent need for transformation.”

• “The human-only workforce is a thing of the past. 68% of organizations are working on a strategy that integrates human employees and machines including AI-agents and robots​.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Sonika Choubey at sonika.choubey@gartner.com.

Presented by Arup Roy, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

Cost is one of the greatest near-term threats to AI success. Calculating that cost represents a significant challenge for leaders. In this session, Arup Roy, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed how to identify the cost drivers for AI, as well as the ensuing risks that need to be estimated, managed and mitigated.

• “Effectively estimate cost, risk and value by categorizing opportunities into three initiative types - ‘defend’ for marginal gains and micro-innovations; ‘extend’ to grow market size, reach, revenue or profitability; and ‘upend’ to bring new products to market quickly.”

• “Build a cost estimate by focusing on the cost factors relevant to your initiative type. Get your assumptions correct, otherwise costs can blow out 5 to 10 times their estimates.”

• “Mitigate risk by allocating budget, resources, training and tools to ensure a safe, secure, ethical and reliable AI solution. Don’t under invest, as it could be detrimental to your organization’s brand and reputation.”

• “Predict your GenAI cost and cost risk by modeling several scenarios incorporating over 100 different cost line items.”

• “While productivity is the leading benefit most organizations expect from AI initiatives, maximize value realization by incorporating multiple benefit measures of GenAI.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Sonika Choubey at sonika.choubey@gartner.com.

Presented by Jason Wong, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

To meet employee experience (EX) challenges, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) must enable and empower employees to transform their work methods through improved digital workplace technologies. In this session, Jason Wong, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed Gartner’s digital employee experience blueprint, which offers a comprehensive assessment of technologies to enhance employee productivity and business outcomes.

• Digital Employee Experience (DEX) is a strategy that focuses on how technology impacts EX, aiming to enable and empower employees to transform their ways of working.

• Gartner DEX Blueprint can help organizations with:

• Breaking down siloed experiences by establishing a holistic view of digital workplace (DW) and related technologies.

• Reducing fragmentation and risk by improving relationships and building alignment across different IT teams.

• Prioritizing the most impactful investments by setting a shared vision for DEX with the business.

• “Risk management and governance are key elements in developing a DEX strategy.”

• “A psychologically safe team allows admitting mistakes and not knowing things, fostering a culture of taking calculated risks and learning to fail intelligently.”

• “Security and digital workplace leaders must work together as equal partners. Achieving good DEX and robust security requires a balanced, collaborative approach.”

Journalists can receive additional information and/or request an interview with the Gartner expert by contacting Sonika Choubey at sonika.choubey@gartner.com.