AI at the Crossroads: Innovating at Speed, Evolving with Responsibility

Artificial intelligence is no longer a “future technology”—it’s here, and it’s transforming industries at an unprecedented pace. From streamlining operations to revolutionizing customer experiences, AI has become essential for businesses needing to stay competitive. But with rapid advancements comes a new kind of urgency: fear of missing out (FOMO).

For many organizations, the question isn’t whether to invest in AI, but when and how. In the latest ABBYY State of Intelligent Automation Report – AI Trust Barometer, research shows that nearly two-thirds of IT leaders worry about falling behind competitors if they don’t embrace AI. This urgency is driving significant investment, sparking conversations about responsibility, trust, and the broader implications of adopting AI technologies.

Trust and Transparency: Cornerstones of AI Adoption

Building trust in AI is essential, especially as it becomes deeply integrated into everyday life. Consider the Spotify playlist you may have listened to this morning—AI-driven personalization at its finest. Yet, these advancements come with challenges. Recent headlines from The Financial Times highlight this tension, with over 11,000 artists, including members of ABBA and Radiohead, warning against AI’s unlicensed use of creative works. They argue, “The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works and must not be permitted.”

This example reflects a broader conversation around AI’s impact—not just on industries but on ethics and livelihoods. ABBYY’s recent State of Intelligent Automation Report echoes similar concerns, revealing that many business leaders worry about misuse of AI, both by employees and in external applications.

Despite these concerns, trust in AI is growing. Nearly 90% of IT leaders express confidence in purpose-built AI models tailored to specific tasks. These smaller, more focused models inspire trust due to their clarity and measurable results. The adoption of AI isn’t merely a trend; it’s a necessity.

For AI to truly deliver value, it must meet stringent criteria:

• Purpose-driven application – AI must solve real business problems. For example, in industries like transportation and logistics AI can significantly reduce industry challenges such as delays, errors, and inefficiencies, particularly in processes like freight forwarding and customs clearance. ABBYY’s intelligent document processing (IDP) is a powerful solution that automates the extraction, classification, and verification of key documents such as invoices, bills of lading, and customs declarations. This streamlining of document-related workflows not only accelerates operations but also reduces human error, ensuring shipments are processed quickly and accurately, resulting in timely deliveries.

  ABBYY’s IDP solution has delivered substantial value for companies like Carlsberg. By automating their order and delivery processes, Carlsberg saved over 140 hours per month and achieving a 92% touchless order processing rate. Intelligent automation showcases how ABBYY’s solutions drive productivity and business transformation across industries.

  These examples underscore the profound potential of AI-driven solutions to tackle real-world business challenges and deliver measurable benefits.

• Financial viability – To ensure financial viability, AI solutions must deliver clear ROI through operational efficiencies and cost reductions. For instance, CustomsTrack leveraged ABBYY's intelligent document processing (IDP) to streamline customs clearance, cutting processing time to under five minutes. This resulted in a 95% faster delivery of goods, accelerating revenue generation. The system's 100% data accuracy and 99% straight-through processing reduced errors, while an 80% reduction in manual effort significantly lowered labor costs. These operational efficiencies not only cut costs but also boosted customer satisfaction, driving sustained financial gains and improving profitability.

• Safety and fairness – Outcomes must be consistent, unbiased, and reliable. The misuse of AI—intentional or accidental—poses a major concern for enterprises. Without proper guidance, employees can breach data privacy or make biased decisions. Meanwhile, regulation struggles to keep pace.

  This uncertainty underscores the need for businesses to prioritize internal governance. By implementing strong AI frameworks, organizations can lead responsibly, setting an example for broader regulatory discussions.

  In the case of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust they embraced ABBYY’s IDP solutions, which not only streamlined its operations but also ensured that invoice data was processed with the highest level of consistency and accuracy. This significantly reduced human error and potential biases, demonstrating a commitment to reliable, fair outcomes. This approach directly supports the growing imperative for businesses to adopt AI governance, ensuring both operational efficiency and compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

While progress is encouraging, the balance between innovation and ethical responsibility will remain crucial in ensuring trust and transparency in AI’s continued evolution.

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LISTEN NOW: Ulf Persson, CEO of ABBYY, discusses ABBYY research that shows fear of missing out is playing a big factor in AI investment.

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Be Strategic with FOMO

The fear of missing out is propelling organizations to explore AI, but it’s also creating pressure to adopt quickly—sometimes without adequate preparation. Businesses that rush implementation risk falling into common traps, from misaligned expectations to ethical pitfalls.

To balance urgency with caution, organizations can be more strategic by focusing on three priorities:

1. Training employees: Proper education ensures staff understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI tools, the need for maintaining human in the loop, and reducing misuse and promoting effective adoption.
2. Establishing clear corporate policies: Both internal policies and external governance are lagging behind AI advancements. Businesses must take proactive steps to set guidelines that reflect their values and mitigate risks. This includes engaging with third-party organizations like ForHumanity to develop independent AI audit systems, ensuring compliance with emerging regulations such as the EU AI Act and US AI Executive Order, and fostering transparency, accountability, and trust in AI applications.
3. Fostering transparency: Clear communication with stakeholders, employees, and customers about how AI is being developed helps build trust and acceptance. We believe trust is the cornerstone of successful relationships. By integrating transparency and privacy-by-design principles into every stage of our product development, we ensure stakeholders feel confident in how their data is handled and their processes are supported.

The benefits of AI aren’t just for businesses—they ripple out to consumers as well. Personalized playlists on Spotify or streamlined customer service in banking are just the beginning. AI is already improving lives by automating repetitive tasks and delivering fairer, faster outcomes.

However, trust is a prerequisite for AI’s long-term success. Consumers and clients alike are demanding transparency in how AI is developed and deployed. Companies must ensure they address concerns about data privacy, biases, and ethical use to maintain this trust.

Learn more about ABBYY’s approach to ethical AI at www.abbyy.com/company/trust/.