Dive Brief:
- CIOs expect larger budgets for cybersecurity, data analytics and cloud platforms next year as demand for democratized IT capabilities grows, according to a Gartner survey published Monday.
- With increased technology, CIOs are primarily pursuing improved customer or citizen experiences, according to the analyst firm. Gartner consulted nearly 2,500 CIOs for its annual study, which the firm presented at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Orlando, Florida.
- “As CIOs are expected by their CEO to orchestrate a range of enterprise outcomes, CIOs must integrate and align the digital initiatives led by their CxO counterparts," said Janelle Hill, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, in a statement. "CIO and CXO co-ownership of digital delivery is an indivisible part of enterprise – not just functional – outcome attainment.”
Dive Insight:
CIOs spent most of 2023 tracking the impact of economic woes on their businesses and industries. Next year, leaders will focus on two priorities: keeping companies safe from threat actors and enabling advanced technologies across the organization.
With nearly three quarters of CIOs planning to increase investments into AI next year, the challenge will be to link those capabilities to improved customer experiences, the top outcome executives are aiming for.
Closely behind improved customer experiences is the goal of expanding operating margins, a top-three priority for more than half of CIOs. AI's role in augmenting worker efficiency, and how exactly the technology can deliver, is one of Gartner's critical trends to watch into 2024.
Adoption, however, is still a work in progress.
Though 70% of CIOs refer to generative AI as a game-changing technology, just 9% of CIOs have deployed it in their enterprises. More than half say they have plans to deploy generative AI in the next two years.
Gartner urged CIOs Monday to put in place strategies around generative AI, given its potential for deep transformation.
“There will be all sorts of unforeseen consequences,” said Mary Mesaglio, distinguished VP analyst at Gartner, speaking Monday at Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo 2023. “What this means is that you need to think ahead of time about what lines you won’t cross.”
