As we begin to leave behind the first month of 2025, we look toward the year in earnest as enterprises lay the foundation of their UC strategy moving forward.
With AI continuing to be a trailblazer in 2024, the technology was of keen interest for many as they realized the trajectory and impact it is likely to have this year.
Although several UC Leaders were polled, here is a snapshot of some of the answers we found highlighting the zeitgeist of the pack.
The AI Revolution
Perhaps coming as a surprise to no one, AI was a central theme from the respondents.
Of those polled, most respondents mentioned AI in some form in their answers.
Melody Brue, VP & Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, succinctly captured the sentiment.
"AI, because it's inevitable."
This statement reflects the widespread belief that AI is no longer optional but a necessity for businesses aiming to stay competitive."
Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, emphasized the transformative potential of AI in his field.
"AI for the potential it offers to improve research and analytics."
The ability of AI to process vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and deliver actionable insights is expected to revolutionize decision-making processes.
Jamie Hughes, Sales Director at Evolve IP, highlighted the practical applications of AI-enabled technologies.
"The adoption of AI-enabled technologies will help businesses become more agile and customer-focused."
This perspective underscores how AI can enhance customer experiences and operational efficiency simultaneously.
Generative AI's Momentum
Generative AI, a subset of AI most popularly characterized by ChatGPT, is receiving particular attention.
Ilya Bukshteyn, VP at Microsoft, pointed to its rapid adoption, describing it as "the amazing velocity of generative AI."
From creating personalized customer interactions to generating content and optimizing workflows, generative AI's capabilities are opening new frontiers for innovation.
For Neil Fluester, Director of Technical Marketing at Crestron, the emphasis is on distinguishing impactful innovations from hype.
While he acknowledged the industry's focus on AI, he also pointed out the importance of "supporting complementary technologies" to create well-rounded solutions.
Agentic AI: The New Area of Interest
Alongside current uses of AI within UC solutions, some respondents were tapping into the noise around the next iteration of AI believing it will usher in the most change.
Adam Ball, Co-Founder/MVP at Cloud Revolution, thinks the further development and introduction will be huge.
"AI Agents. I believe we will see these have a major impact on communications in 2025. AI agents have the potential to remove requirements for the Contact Centre for a lot of organizations and transform the way the Contact Centre looks going forward."
Andre Codespoti, Head of Creative Technology at MCI Brazil, believes that some great innovations will happen in the synergy between the widely lauded generative AI and agentic AI.
"Generative AI will drive creativity and efficiency by enabling dynamic content creation and personalization at scale, while AI agents (powered in part by generative AI), will automate complex workflows and act as virtual workers capable of handling tasks autonomously."
Challenges and Opportunities
The integration of transformative technologies comes with its share of challenges.
Tom Arbuthnot, Co-founder at Empowering Cloud, believes that success will come from not getting caught up in the hype and "finding the business value in AI across the organization."
Yet, the consensus is clear: AI, particularly in its generative form, will have the greatest impact on businesses in 2025.
However, the story doesn't end there. Just as the introduction of generative AI took the world by storm (and surprise) with how well it could perform tasks, these respondents are more receptive to looking at the future iteration of AI as being the real game changer.
With Agentic AI gaining pace last year and industry titan OpenAI releasing its Agentic Operator AI, it looks like they are on to something.
Yet it is not enough to accurately predict the future. You have to prepare for it.
Mrinal Rai, Assistant Director and Principal Analyst at Information Services Group (ISG), sees a "BYOAI [Bring Your Own AI]" approach as one that will go "faster than we expect".
He believes as AI permeates the consumer world, it will have an impact on enterprises as well. Thus adapting your strategy to that may prove pivotal.
As we enter 2025, it's clear these respondents believe the organizations that embrace AI thoughtfully and strategically will be best positioned to lead in their industries.
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