An AI slowdown could be exactly what businesses need

The artificial intelligence industry has been on a fast track for years, constantly pushing the boundaries of what frontier model development can achieve. However, it seems that the industry may be considering a much-needed slowdown in this relentless pace. This slowdown is not a bad thing for businesses, as it could give them the time they need to truly harness the potential of AI and avoid the risk of being left behind.

Currently, 88% of organizations surveyed reported using AI in at least one business function, but the depth of adoption is far from what it could be. Only 5.7% of total working hours were accounted for by generative AI as of August last year. This indicates that companies already possess powerful AI tools but are failing to make the most of them.

The bottleneck lies in connecting models to proprietary data, integrating AI into existing systems, redesigning workflows, implementing appropriate governance, security, and human oversight, and helping employees learn how to delegate effectively to AI.

While calls for a deliberate slowdown are growing louder, some argue that it may not be practical or desirable. However, for businesses, the main concern is not the pace of AI development but rather how to extract the maximum value from the AI capabilities they already possess. A slowdown would provide companies with the much-needed time to move beyond experimentation and focus on workflow redesign, connecting AI to enterprise data and systems, and building governance that allows experimentation without unacceptable risk.

Ultimately, even if the technological frontier slows down, the business opportunity remains enormous. Companies should continue to focus on building better businesses around AI, rather than simply building better AI.