Barely any IT professionals say they actually know how AI tools work

Despite a huge uptick in the number of AI tools available to almost every type of worker since the public preview launch of ChatGPT a little over one year ago, only one in five (22%) IT professionals seem to understand how they work.

The report from SolarWinds suggests very few workers are actually reaping the rewards of AI deployments because they don’t understand the basics.

The study claims that a lack of understanding “could be fueling a disconnect between the perceptions and the reality of AI tool usage,” with many workers likely to overestimate the ROI compared with how much setup is actually required.

Many of us still don't get AI

Artificial intelligence isn’t a plug-and-play solution, and numerous studies over the past few months have backed this up, adding that proper data management is vital.

An overwhelming majority (90%) of IT professionals believe that their colleagues would embrace AI tools for improved productivity, however only two in five (38%) actually use such solutions themselves. Furthermore, those who do use AI use the technology to a fairly basic degree, such as information gathering and research. 

Other studies have previously detailed the inescapable use of AI among programmers, but outside of that industry and in a broader and more general context, SolarWinds found that only 16% use AI to write code, and only 6% use it to identify vulnerabilities.

SolarWinds Tech Evangelist Sascha Giese looks ahead: "Clearly, there is still a general sense of mystery surrounding AI tools, even from those in more technical roles. Therefore, if businesses want to reap the efficiency rewards AI has to offer and channel savings into innovation, they must invest in education and training."

Giese calls for greater transparency and more open collaboration between C-Suite execs and their IT teams if they are to stand any chance of speeding up their transformation.

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