Lenovo Study: Majority of Indian CIOs Embrace AI in 2024; Focus Shifts to GenAI

Lenovo unveiled the ‘CIO Playbook 2024 – It’s all about Smarter AI’ report, shedding light on AI adoption trends in the Asia-Pacific (AP) region. According to the IDC report commissioned by Lenovo, over 95% of Indian CIOs view AI as crucial for business success in 2024, with 28% investing in Generative AI (GenAI).

Key Findings:

• Recruitment challenges persist, with 45% of Indian CIOs facing difficulty in hiring AI-related positions.
• 69% of AP CIOs prefer AI workloads in non-public cloud environments.
• Predicted 45% YoY increase in AI spending across AP in 2024.
• GenAI investments are prominent in India, influencing technologies such as Cybersecurity, Threat Detection, and Intelligent Automation.
• Indian CIOs express concerns over challenges related to AI deployment, including job security and insufficient IT support.

Additionally, the report highlights the preference for a balanced approach to AI workload deployment, with 31% on public cloud, 28% on private cloud, and an additional 28% on hybrid cloud solutions in AP.

Moreover, there’s a notable increase in Edge investments, with a 30% YoY jump in India and a 25% increase across AP. Real-time analytics and video surveillance are anticipated to benefit significantly from AI-driven Edge implementations.

Challenges revolving around data, security, and skills remain prominent, with GenAI’s reliance on extensive datasets posing a significant hurdle. The talent gap in hiring for AI-related positions continues to challenge organizations, emphasizing the need to upskill existing employees.

The study, conducted among 900+ IT and business decision-makers across AP, provides insights into the evolving landscape of AI adoption, priorities, and challenges in 2024, aligning with Lenovo’s vision of democratizing AI.