Microsoft says every business will rely on AI in the next five years

Microsoft believes that every business will be an AI business in the next five years but there are concerns that people don’t fully understand the technology and will be left behind in the AI revolution.

Ahead of Future Decoded, the tech giant’s annual conference at the ExCel Centre in London, it released a new report, named Accelerating Competitive Advantage with AI, covering how businesses across the UK are using the technology. 

The report shows that there is more awareness and adoption of AI overall among businesses, with 56 per cent of businesses adopting AI. However, less than a quarter of these organisations (24 per cent) have an AI strategy and 96 per cent of employees surveyed reporting that their bosses are adding AI without consulting them on the technology. This is fuelling anxiety around the technology, as well as concerns over job security. 

“Based on the progress we’re seeing, we believe that every company will be an AI company in five years,” Microsoft’s UK COO Clare Barclay told the Standard. “As organisations start to use or think about using [AI], we want to encourage more open dialogue on this topic. 

To encourage discussions and education around AI, Microsoft is launching a new AI Business School in the UK. It has currently been running as a pilot for the past 12 months, and focuses on explaining the technology of AI, how it can inform strategies and the culture around it. For instance, one aspect of the programme will focus on the ethical decisions leaders have to make when it comes to AI, including how to construct and implement an ethical AI framework.

But it’s not just for business leaders; while it will function as a physical space, there are also plans to implement online workshops for anyone to access. “We want to make sure we’re driving broad skills development. We’ve made a commitment to train 30,000 public sector employees and 500,000 UK citizens as part of that,” adds Barclay. 

Microsoft isn’t the only tech company examining the role of AI in the UK.