Many businesses may be adopting AI too fast. The latest edition of the Kyndryl State of Mainframe Modernization Survey finds that while modernization projects are delivering significant financial benefits, many organizations continue to face skills shortages, preventing the transformation of complex mission-critical systems.

The survey tapped into the successful adoption of AI among businesses and the struggles business leaders face regarding technological and regulatory challenges. More than 86 percent of respondents said they are quickly adopting AI and generative AI to accelerate their mainframe modernization. As a result of this accelerated adoption rate, a third of respondents indicated that the platform has become a foundation for running AI-enabled workloads. 

Meanwhile, nearly half of respondents said they aim to use generative AI to unlock and transform critical mainframe data into actionable insights.

"Mainframes continue to occupy a central role in the hybrid world and are evolving to serve new use cases, with AI and security increasingly influencing modernization plans,” said Petra Goude, Kyndryl’s global practice leader for Core Enterprise & zCloud. “Kyndryl is at the forefront of this trend, providing mission-critical expertise to help customers achieve their goals." 

Many businesses are reporting significant returns on investment as they bring AI into their business operations. Respondents reported a 114 percent to 225 percent return on investment, along with collective savings of nearly $12 billion annually. 

The survey found that most organizations have opted for a hybrid IT strategy utilizing modernizing on the mainframe, integrating with public/private cloud, and moving applications and data off the platform. More than 96 percent of respondents said they are migrating on average 36 percent of their workloads to the cloud. Additionally, 92 percent of respondents said that a single dashboard is important for monitoring their operations, however, 85 percent stated they find it difficult to do this properly. 

Respondents said they still face the challenge of a skills shortage as they implement generative AI technology. Updating these skills within their organizations remains a key goal for businesses, with 77 percent of respondents saying they now rely on external providers to deliver mainframe modernization projects.

"By working with partners on their mainframe modernization and AI journey, businesses can unlock new opportunities, enhance resiliency, mitigate skills challenges and drive better outcomes,” said Goude, adding that mainframes can continue to thrive and provide strong business value in hybrid environments.