An Exploratory Study on AI Adoption Challenges in A Telecom Organization

Abstract

This is an empirical study conducted in two large organizations within the telecommunication sector. One of the organizations is providing telecom wireless services, and the other is in the manufacture of various devices such as handphones, set-top-boxes, telecommunication tower cores, routers, and the like. The study has used a qualitative research method, namely the grounded theory method by Corbin and Strauss. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the leadership team members who decided to adopt AI technologies, and a focus group discussion (FGD) with the middle management team who were responsible for implementation. The respondents in the FGD included data engineers, data scientists, software developers, and end users. The organisations have implemented more than 150 AI applications. The key finding is that organisations need to be focused on data readiness, leadership drive, digital literacy across the workforce, technology infrastructure, overcoming resistance to change, and regulatory norms compliance. The study provides insight into how the barriers were overcome, and the outcome was growth in customer base and average revenue per user. The study can be expanded to include organisations within the domain of manufacturing and the service sector.