The end of 2023 could be marking a pivotal moment for the incorporation of Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) across various applications, according to a new report by Forrester. 

According to Forrester data, GenAI's rapid adoption has been one of the fastest in the history of technology, jumping from an adoption rate of 62% to 71% in enterprises between July and September. The use of GenAI, initially exemplified by ChatGPT, is projected to continue its expansion into various applications.

Forrester's report, "The Generative AI Advantage", postulates that companies actively incorporating GenAI to enhance their experiences, product offerings, and productivity will likely see outsized growth and hold a competitive edge against their rivals.

According to Senior Analyst Rowan Curran, the central question surrounding GenAI has evolved from 'What will generative AI do?' to 'What is generative AI doing?' in just the space of a year.

Curran explains that this technology, which was still in its fledgling state just 12 months ago, is now being adopted at an unprecedented speed across industries. Its usage spans from search engines, market research platforms, and customer service to social media and digital content creation.

"A year ago, we had the spark of a technology revolution and how we interact with it, and today that fire is being fueled by an ever-expanding array of companies that are transforming the way their employees and customers interact with software, and with the world," Curran said.

"From search engines to market research platforms, to customer service, to social media, and to digital design and content creation, GenAI's impact is already pervading across technology categories."

Curran attributes the technology's surge to millions of users, its ease of use, and its immediate ability to solve existing problems. He characterises the year not as a period of hype for GenAI but rather a time for refining and sculpting it into form.

Contrary to popular belief that GenAI primarily serves less skilled teams, Principal Analyst Allie Mellen reveals that "generative AI will actually be most beneficial for practitioners with experience."

As she explains, given GenAI's inherent traits of producing hallucinations and incorrect responses, it operates best as a tool requiring validation prior to being broadly used. Those with the most experience will be able to qualify and execute based on the results faster and will see the most gains because of it.

Furthermore, from Forrester's recent AI pulse survey, Mellen points out, "In Forrester's latest AI pulse survey, AI decision-makers believe that the IT department will get the most value out of generative AI, more so than any other department by 14 percentage points."

Ultimately, Mellen believes "Generative AI will fundamentally change the way security and IT teams do their work."