Conducted as part of Gartner’s webinar series exploring the enterprise impact of generative AI, the tech research firm’s poll asked over 2,500 executives a string of questions on AI investment, engagement, and usage.

For the poll’s respondents and their organisations, the arrival of ChatGPT has caused an upsurge in both investment and interest. While 45% of execs say that AI-focused investment has grown in recent months, far more (70%) say that generative AI is currently being investigated or explored by their organisations.

Interestingly, and amid the on-going discussions about the pros and cons of AI and its advancement, 68% of the executives questioned believe that the benefits of generative AI ultimately outweigh the risks. In comparison, only 5% of respondents feel that the risks outbalance the benefits.

Gartner states that this outlook — benefit over risk — may shift further down the line, however. Frances Karamouzis, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, suggests that: “Initial enthusiasm for a new technology can give way to more rigorous analysis of risks and implementation challenges. Organisations will likely encounter a host of trust, risk, security, privacy and ethical questions as they start to develop and deploy generative AI.”

But what’s prompting executives to invest in generative AI in the first place? Over one-third (38%) of respondents cite bettered customer experience and retention as the primary focus for investment, while revenue growth (26%), cost optimisation (17%), and business continuity (7%) are the following focuses.

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As organisations begin experimenting with generative AI, many are starting with use cases like code and content generation. However, while there can be a strong and initial value-add, Gartner says that AI has huge potential to have far greater business impact, especially when it comes to autonomously executing tasks such as IT processes.

On this, Karamouzis says: “Autonomous business, the next macrophase of technological change, can mitigate the impact of inflation, talent shortages and even economic downturns. CEOs and CIOs that leverage generative AI to drive transformation through new products and business models will find massive opportunities for revenue growth.”

How artificial intelligence intersects with automation — and the various knock-on effects it could have regarding employment — is a particularly contentious topic in the continued discussions regarding AI.

Earlier this week, the World Economic Forum released a report suggesting that nearly a quarter of all jobs are expected to change in the next five years, partly due to artificial intelligence.