Dive Brief:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) implementation will move away from the pilot stage toward operationalization at 75% of companies by 2024, according to Gartner's Top 10 Data and Analytics Technology Trends for 2020 report released Monday.
• Growth projections mean the next four years will see a five-fold increase in streaming data and analytics infrastructures adoption, Gartner said.
• During the pandemic, machine learning (ML), optimization and natural language processing (NLP) proved their worth. Reinforcement and distributed learning are also coming into the fold as businesses adapt systems to the changing business landscape.

Dive Insight:

COVID-19 drove the need for accurate, speedy insights into the inner workings of organizations as the business landscape shifted in real time. It was AI's time to shine, with organizations looking to capitalize on past investments in technology. 

In the rapid shift to remote work, companies leveraged chatbots to safely onboard workers remotely and get them up to speed. The bots, equipped with NLP capabilities, provided snippets of relevant code to developers hopping on new projects.

Automated help desk tools gave IT teams respite as they grappled with the complexities of a distributed workforce. Once companies get accustomed to infusing their processes with automation in response to the pandemic, it will be harder to return to manual processes, said Mihir Shukla, CEO and co-founder at Automation Anywhere, speaking in a virtual roundtable this month.

The pandemic made CIOs hit the throttle on technologies that can deliver value quickly. Digital transformation efforts once viewed as long-term projects became urgent, and were delivered in a matter of weeks at 71% of organizations, according to a survey form software company AppDynamics. 

Even though Gartner's tech spend forecast projects an 8% contraction globally, business leader appetite will increase when it comes to the technologies that power to digital business ecosystems, automation- and location-agnostic work.

AI also tops a ranking of emerging technologies that are set to deliver "near-term business impact" for organizations, according to an analysis from CompTIA's Emerging Technology Community group.