Can AI Adoption Outpace Historical Technology Trends?

Technology adoption is the process of adopting new technologies for practical use by individuals, businesses, or society. The rate of adoption depends on various factors, such as the perceived benefits, costs, risks, and compatibility of the technology, as well as the availability of infrastructure, skills, and regulations.

Some technologies have been adopted very rapidly in the past few decades, such as the internet, smartphones, e-commerce, social media, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies. As a key visionary and ambassador for all of them since their inception, I can see how these technologies have transformed the way people communicate, shop, socialize, transact, and access information.

According to some statistics, the internet adoption among US adults increased from 52% to 90% between 2000 and 2019, cell phone usage in US households increased from 10% in 1994 to 96% in 2019, and tablet adoption increased from 3% in 2010 to 64% in 2017. Similarly, e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon have grown exponentially since their launch in the mid-1990s, reaching hundreds of millions of customers and sellers worldwide. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have also gained massive popularity, with billions of active users and influencers. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, have emerged as new paradigms of decentralized and distributed systems, enabling peer-to-peer transactions, smart contracts, and digital assets.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is another technology that has been advancing rapidly in recent years, especially since 2020, when several breakthroughs and innovations were made by researchers and companies like Byrd, OpenAI, and Bing. AI is the ability of machines to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, perception, decision making, and natural language processing. AI is seen as something new, but it actually has been there for decades. Personally, I have seen it starting with LISP, the only difference being that there was no mass adoption for it back in the day.

AI has been applied to various domains, such as health care, education, finance, entertainment, security, and transportation, to improve efficiency, accuracy, and convenience. However, AI adoption is still relatively low compared to other technologies, despite its potential and promise. According to some surveys, the global AI adoption rate grew from 21% in 2018 to 35% in 2022, and the main barriers to AI adoption include lack of skills, data, and trust. Moreover, AI adoption varies significantly by industry, country, and company size, with larger and more digitally mature organizations leading the way.

There are several reasons why AI adoption is slower than other technologies, such as:

- AI is more complex and requires more technical expertise and resources to develop, deploy, and maintain.

- AI is more context-specific and needs to be customized and tailored to different use cases and scenarios.

- AI is more dynamic and evolving, and needs to be constantly updated and improved to keep up with the latest research and best practices.

- AI is more ethical and social, and needs to be aligned with human values, norms, and regulations, and ensure fairness, accountability, transparency, and safety.

Therefore, AI adoption is not only a matter of technology, but also a matter of culture, strategy, and governance. To accelerate AI adoption, organizations need to:

- Invest in AI education and training, and foster a culture of learning and experimentation.

- Leverage AI platforms and tools, and collaborate with AI experts and partners.

- Define clear AI goals and metrics, and align them with business objectives and customer needs.

- Establish AI governance and ethics, and ensure AI quality, reliability, and trustworthiness.

As an advocate for innovation and change, I’ve always supported and worked for disruption. AI is a powerful and transformative technology that can bring many benefits and opportunities to individuals, businesses, and society. However, AI adoption is not a straightforward or easy process, and requires careful planning, execution, and evaluation. By overcoming the challenges and barriers to AI adoption, organizations can harness the full potential and value of AI, and gain a competitive edge in the digital age.