[Whitepaper] Rethinking the Enterprise

We are living in extraordinary times. Even before the pandemic, the global economy was undergoing dramatic change. The deployment of digital networks, data platforms, and artificial intelligence has caused significant disruption and a growing divide between companies that have embraced digital transformation and those that have not. To understand how to enable technology to drive maximum business impact, we need to think about the firm in a new way. Our research shows that the core of the new, “AI-First” enterprise is a different operating architecture – one centered on integrated data assets and designed to easily deploy AI and Data Analytics at scale, across any function or department, rapidly and efficiently. This new architecture enables organizations to address a vast set of quickly changing business needs, spurring innovation well beyond IT and R&D and driving the agility necessary to not only survive but prosper in these challenging times. The AI-First organization is purpose-built to maximize the impact of technology, data, and artificial intelligence, and it is prepared to manage not only its opportunities, but also its challenges and risks. Our research shows that being AI-First is not the prerogative of “digital native” companies. Even among traditional enterprises, many companies have invested in the kinds of organizational, architectural, and procedural transformation necessary for digital technology to flourish. At the same time, digital native companies have much to learn, change, and improve. Becoming an “AI-First” organization is an ongoing journey. This paper introduces the vision, trajectory, and assessment tools to guide organizations as they seek to make progress on this path. Read the full paper here.