“We’re used to CIOs going out and buying software, and this year, they’re going to be sold [AI] software,” he says. “In the past, they had an idea in mind, a problem to solve, and it is directional, intentional. They are in control.”
In some cases, the CIOs won’t have a choice about whether to purchase the add-on AI, Lovelock says.
“This year, virtually every software company, for virtually every product, will have a gen AI feature this year, if they don’t already,” he says. “The salespeople are going to be calling their customers and saying, ‘We have gen AI,’ and in some cases, you come in one morning, and you have a slightly higher bill and a new button.”