AI Agents Becoming More Prevalent - Businesses Prepare for Potential Threats
In a comprehensive study involving over 1,500 business executives and 40 senior decision-maker interviews, Infosys has revealed a significant gap between AI adoption and responsible AI (RAI) readiness. The research, which was conducted across Australia, France, Germany, the UK, the USA, and New Zealand, has identified 150 companies as "RAI Leaders" in responsible artificial intelligence.
The report, which focuses on the advent of agentic AI, reveals that only 2% of companies have adequate RAI controls in place. However, 78% of senior leaders see RAI as aiding their revenue growth, and 83% believe that future AI regulations would boost, rather than inhibit, the number of future AI initiatives.
The findings suggest that companies, on average, believe they are underinvesting in RAI by 30%. This underinvestment has led to numerous AI-related incidents, with 95% of enterprises reporting such incidents in the past two years. In fact, 95% of C-suite and director-level executives have experienced AI-related incidents.
These incidents have not gone unnoticed. 86% of executives aware of agentic AI believe it will introduce new risks and compliance issues. The survey analyzed risks from poorly implemented AI, including privacy violations, ethical violations, bias or discrimination, regulatory non-compliance, and inaccurate or harmful predictions.
The consequences of these issues can be severe. 39% of executives characterize the damage from such AI issues as "severe" or "extremely severe". The report found that 77% of organizations experienced financial loss due to poorly implemented AI, with the "RAI leader" cohort experiencing 39% lower financial losses and 18% lower severity from AI incidents.
The "RAI leader" cohort achieved these results by developing improved AI explainability, proactively evaluating and mitigating against bias, rigorously testing and validating AI initiatives, and having a clear incident response plan. Only 2% of companies (termed "RAI leaders") meet the full standards set in the Infosys RAI capability benchmark (RAISE BAR), while 15% of companies meet three-quarters of the standards.
Despite the challenges, 78% of companies view responsible AI as a business growth driver. The report concludes that investing in RAI is not just a matter of compliance, but a strategic imperative for businesses looking to thrive in the age of AI.
