Telecom operators are under pressure to deploy AI at speed, but the industry may be focusing on the wrong problem, according to a new global survey from Designit, Wipro’s experience innovation company.
Designit’s research revealed that 43% of global design and telecom professionals believe that rolling out AI too quickly is the biggest mistake telecom companies make when introducing AI. Treating AI as a cost-cutting tool ranked second at 32%, followed by poor data readiness (14%) and automating without organisational redesign (11%).
While speed is seen as the primary risk, the findings point to a deeper, overlooked issue. Despite growing recognition that AI requires fundamental changes to how organisations operate, just 11% of respondents see the organisational redesign required to make AI succeed as a priority.
Across telecoms, AI progress is still measured by speed and scale – how quickly a tool is live, how many processes it touches. But when organisations are not designed to absorb them, pilots stall, and the gap between what AI promised and what it delivered becomes hard to ignore.
Jakob Voldum, insights and strategy design director at Designit, commented: “Telecoms is one of the most complex environments in which to embed AI. Managing legacy infrastructure, regulatory pressure, and the need to serve millions of customers every day means the margin for a poorly prepared AI deployment is slim.
“In many cases, organisations are introducing AI without a clear view of what success looks like. Without that direction, speed only brings misalignment to the surface quicker.
“Technology is rarely a problem in isolation. The challenge is in ensuring the organisation is ready to meet it – redesigning workflows, clarifying accountabilities, and ensuring governance and team structures are in place before the pressure to scale arrives.
“Those who will succeed will be those who treat AI as an opportunity to redesign how they operate, not just where they automate. That is where long-term value will be created.”
Designit’s work with Dutch telecommunications provider Odido demonstrates what this looks like in practice. Through an embedded studio model, Designit worked alongside Odido’s business and IT teams to bridge the gap between commercial ambition and operational delivery, helping move AI into a scalable, cross-functional capability.
