Realizing the Value of AI – Key Findings from the Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025

Описание: Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025: Only 13% of Companies Are Ready for AI Success

In this episode of The Age of AI podcast host Shelly Kramer is joined by DJ Sampath, Cisco's SVP of AI, to unpack Cisco's third annual AI Readiness Index, and explored what separates AI leaders from everyone else:

Key highlights from the report include:

🎯 Pacesetters are 1.5x more likely to report major gains in profitability, productivity, and innovation (90% vs. 60% overall)
📊 The ROI pressure is real: 80% report urgently rising demands to demonstrate AI returns, but only pacesetters have the measurement frameworks to prove it
🤖 The agent revolution is here: 83% plan to deploy autonomous agents, but only 33% have infrastructure ready—creating massive "AI infrastructure debt"
🔒 Security remains critical: Only 31% feel capable of securing agent AI systems, yet 87% of pacesetters demonstrate high awareness of AI-specific threats
👥 Change management gap: While 81% have clear AI ownership, only 33% have formal change management plans to guide employees

The most powerful insight? Pacesetters aren't waiting for AI to "settle down"—they recognize that weekly innovations mean the landscape will never calm. They're investing now, measuring everything, and building cultures of innovation.

DJ's advice is clear: "Start getting off the fence. If you're waiting for things to settle down, you're waiting too long. You're going to get left behind."

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction: The AI Readiness Gap
1:31 - Only 13% Are Pacesetters: What Makes Them Different
4:21 - Culture of Innovation and Strategic AI Adoption
7:05 - The ROI Challenge: Measuring What Matters
12:22 - Beyond Productivity: Creating Better Experiences
15:28 - The Agent Revolution: From Chatbots to Autonomous AI
20:16 - Security as Infrastructure Foundation
24:25 - The Change Management Gap
26:42 - Final Advice for Business Leaders

Watch the full conversation to learn how your organization can join the 13% and what specific steps pacesetters take to drive real AI success.

Resources: 📊 Read the full Cisco AI Readiness Index 2025: https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/solut...

Find DJ Sampath on LinkedIn:   / djsampath  
Find Shelly Kramer on LinkedIn:   / shellydemottekramer  

About this series: The Age of AI explores the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, examining what's happening now, what's next, and how it impacts business, the workplace, and the world.
Hosted by Shelly Kramer, Principal Analyst at Kramer&Co.

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