Generative AI (GenAI) has officially entered the “get it done” era. No longer confined to experimental phases, this technology is making significant strides toward full-scale implementation. Businesses worldwide are embracing the pivotal role of generative AI for business transformation as they transition from exploration to execution.
Our recent global study with Everest Group reveals a growing consensus among 450 executive leaders who see implementing AI as crucial for their businesses to remain relevant in their industries. A significant majority of enterprises (72%) view GenAI as a catalyst for productivity, indicating a growing preference for collaborative and assistive AI models that enhance roles rather than eliminate them.
Diving deeper into this transformation, we explore how human and AI collaboration is poised to redefine the working world, from scaling GenAI to improving operational efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and future-proofing operations.
Generative AI: A Strategic Imperative
The pace of GenAI adoption is accelerating. While 32% of the businesses we surveyed have yet to begin implementation, 27% of them are already in the implementation phase. Looking toward the next two years, 56% expect to be in the implementation phase. This evolution signifies the shift from planning to operational rollouts that focus on enhancing productivity, decision support, and customer experience.
Organizations are unlocking new avenues for enterprise value through GenAI. Its ability to process vast amounts of data and generate insightful outputs is reshaping business models and operational strategies, setting a new standard for what’s possible in digital transformation.
Drastic Shifts in Priorities
The message from enterprise leaders is clear: technology modernization (55%) and customer experience enhancement (54%) are top business priorities. Interestingly, cost reduction falls behind revenue growth as a priority, with the focus instead on comprehensive transformation.
And customer experience is no longer just a support function—it’s a competitive differentiator. As digital-first expectations rise, enterprises are rethinking how they deliver value at every touchpoint.
GenAI is being deployed across the customer journey. AI-enabled chatbots with vast knowledge bases and process automation are delivering faster, 24/7 service. In contact centers, AI is empowering advisors with real-time prompts, next-best-action guidance, and translation tools—drastically improving both speed and satisfaction.
Augmentation Over Automation
One of the most striking findings in the Everest and Concentrix study is that 72% of enterprise leaders believe GenAI will complement, not replace, human roles. This points to a future powered by human and AI collaboration, where AI enables humans, enhancing productivity, creativity, and precision—allowing people to focus on higher-value tasks.
Generative AI for business transformation aims to augment human capabilities, not render them obsolete. Beyond the customer experience, GenAI is being used to automate document processing, optimize workforce management, support fraud detection, and drive intelligent analytics. From the back office to the C-suite, AI is helping businesses move faster and think smarter.
Real-World Use Cases—and the Rise of Generative AI
Businesses are seeing the transformative value of GenAI and its potential throughout their organizations, from customer interactions to detecting fraud. Here are just a few use cases that drive value across various business functions:
- Front-office: Innovative capabilities such as personalized recommendations and sentiment analysis are revolutionizing customer interactions, making them more personalized and efficient.
- Mid-office: Decision intelligence and predictive analytics are enabling businesses to make informed decisions and anticipate market trends.
- Back-office: GenAI allows for enhanced compliance and streamlined operations through document automation, workforce tools, and fraud detection.
And we’re just scratching the surface. As companies expand their AI models into agentic AI, they’re discovering how it can actively assist with making complex decisions and orchestrate actions across complex workflows. Here are just a few examples of how this innovative technology is already making a positive impact on businesses:
- Assisting human advisors with complex issue resolution, offering real-time suggestions and surface knowledge from multiple systems.
- Proactively engaging customers with AI-driven outreach based on predicted needs or behavioral cues.
- Enhancing multilingual support by enabling seamless, real-time translation in global contact centers.
- Workforce optimization, helping leaders manage scheduling, training, and capacity planning through AI-informed insights.
These agentic systems are purpose-built to collaborate with humans—not replace them. They enable a more dynamic, context-aware, and proactive form of automation that blends seamlessly into human workflows.
Challenges to Scaling Generative AI
Even with its momentum, GenAI adoption isn’t without its challenges. The top three barriers? Talent gaps, cybersecurity concerns, and integration complexity. And while the number of businesses increasing their investments in GenAI is set to nearly double from 13% today to 24% in the next two to three years, more than a third (36%) of enterprises have moved less than 20% of their projects past the pilot stage.
That said, some organizations are still navigating legacy infrastructure or struggling to establish AI governance. That’s why a tailored approach is critical to unlocking scale.
Navigating the Complexities of Generative AI for Business Transformation
As enterprises move from experimentation to execution, the key to unlocking GenAI’s full potential lies in seamless integration, strategic alignment, and human-centered design. Organizations aren’t looking for disruption—they’re looking for transformation that fits within their existing ecosystems. That means pragmatic deployments, scalable governance, and a workforce ready to collaborate with AI.
GenAI isn’t replacing human ingenuity—it’s amplifying it. When paired with thoughtful strategy and modernized operations, AI becomes a force multiplier for speed, personalization, and decision intelligence. The businesses that embrace this shift with agility and purpose will lead the future of intelligent transformation.
Read the full report for more insights into how GenAI is transforming industries.
