According to new research from Dynatrace, the tech company and provider of a software observability platform, 83% of global technology leaders say that AI has become mandatory to keep up with the dynamic nature of cloud environments.

This is just one of the insights gleaned from a survey of 1,300 CTOs, CIOs, and other leaders involved in IT operations and DevOps management in large organisations. The sample included 600 respondents in Europe, 250 in Asia Pacific, 200 in the US, 150 in the Middle East, and 100 in Latin America.

Regarding the headline statistic, over eight-in-ten (83%) said that artificial intelligence has now become mandatory to make it more possible for teams to manually keep up with the size, speed, and dynamic nature of cloud environments. Relatedly, a similar number (88%) also think AI will enable cloud cost efficiencies by supporting FinOps practices.

In other areas, around four-fifths (82%) of technology leaders said artificial intelligence will be critical to security threat detection, investigation, and response. What’s more, a further 88% expect AI to extend access to data analytics to non-technical employees through natural language queries.

Despite these business advantages, technology leaders aren’t without AI-related anxieties. For instance, more than nine-in-ten (93%) are concerned that artificial intelligence could be used for non-approved uses as employees become more accustomed with using tools such as ChatGPT.

A slightly higher percent (98%) are apprehensive that generative AI could be susceptible to intentional bias, error, and misinformation. Further, 95% are concerned that using generative to create code could result in leakage and improper or illegal use of intellectual property.

That said, and in a bid to keep pace with competitors, technology leaders are still moving forward with artificial intelligence. Just under two-thirds (61%) will increase investment in AI over the next 12 months to speed up development through automatic code generation. Additionally, 62% of organisations have already changed the job roles and skills they are recruiting for because of AI.

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Speaking on the findings and artificial intelligence’s rise in usage, Bernd Greifeneder, chief technology officer at Dynatrace, said: “AI has become central to how organizations drive efficiency, improve productivity, and accelerate innovation.”

“The release of ChatGPT late last year triggered a significant generative AI hype cycle. Business, development, operations, and security leaders have set high expectations for generative AIs to help them deliver new services with less effort and at record speeds.

“However, as organizations endeavor to realize the expected value, it becomes evident that generative AI requires domain-specific tuning and integration with other technologies, including other types of AI. In addition, organizations must use AI securely and responsibly and monitor it closely to manage cost and user experience.

“This will help them provide accurate results, reduce expenses, and prevent employees from exposing sensitive data or creating vulnerabilities in their environments.”