Insights from a Wharton and GBK Collective Survey

• A survey of over 800 business leaders reveals a significant shift in attitudes and applications of AI, with weekly use increasing from 37% to 72% within a year.
• Despite initial hesitations, generative AI is broadly utilized across various functions, including document writing/editing, data analysis, customer service, fraud detection, and financial forecasting.

The report “Growing Up: Navigating Gen AI’s Early Years” by Wharton experts and GBK Collective provides significant insights into AI’s changing attitudes and applications in large organizations. The report highlights that generative AI is transitioning from a novelty to an essential tool in daily operations.

Over 800 senior business leaders participated in the survey, revealing a drastic shift in the use of AI. In 2023, only 37% reported using AI weekly, which rose to 72% in 2024. The survey showcases the increasing deployment of generative AI across various functions. Departments such as marketing and human resources, initially slower to adopt AI, are now embracing its benefits.

The most common uses of AI are in document and proposal writing/editing (64%), data analysis (62%), customer service (58%), fraud detection (55%), and financial forecasting (53%). Despite its growing acceptance, AI still faces challenges regarding accuracy, bias, data privacy, team integration, and ethics. However, the report also emphasizes the importance of continuous experimentation with AI, which will help organizations determine the best use of this evolving technology.

The report is authored by Wharton marketing professor Stefano Puntoni, Jeremy Korst of GBK Collective, and Mary Purk, executive director of AI at Wharton.