May 2025
PYMNTS Data Books

Chief Product Officers Say GenAI Still Needs a Human Chaperone

Generative artificial intelligence has near-universal adoption among companies in all industries, driving innovation and strategic functions. But while optimism about the technology’s effectiveness is high, significant human oversight is still the norm, even for routine, automated tasks like fraud detection. Goods and technology firms use GenAI differently than services companies do, highlighting its impact on product design, workforces and the future of automation.

Get Unlimited Access
Complete the form below for free, unlimited access to all our Data Studies, Trackers, and MonitorEdge reports.

Thank you for registering. Please confirm your email to view all our Trackers.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    This data book explores how chief product officers across industries are leveraging generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). It reveals near-universal adoption, a strong focus on innovation and strategic tasks over operational monitoring, and differing priorities between the goods, technology and services sectors. While optimism about GenAI’s effectiveness is high, significant human oversight is still the norm, even in tasks like fraud detection, influencing expectations around automation, workforce skills and cost impacts.

    Near-Universal GenAI Adoption

    Practically all product leaders have integrated GenAI into their workflows. This indicates rapid and widespread acceptance of the technology across the board.

    Innovation Over Oversight

    Enterprise product leaders are nearly twice as likely to use the technology for product innovation compared to monitoring production. This positions GenAI primarily as a creative tool in the early stages.

    Innovation Adoption Rate

    More than 6 in 10 CPOs actively use GenAI specifically to innovate products and services. This quantifies the focus on using the technology for strategic product development.

    Sector-Specific Applications

    While the goods and technology sectors prioritize GenAI for sparking ideas and shaping product design, the services sector leverages it more for generating reports and scanning the competitive landscape. This highlights how use cases adapt to industry needs.

    The Reality of Human Oversight in GenAI

    Despite adoption, significant human oversight remains standard. Even in tasks like fraud detection, fewer than half of CPOs report systems functioning without human input, and 77% require it for cybersecurity management. Automation is not yet widespread.

    Optimism vs. Automation

    CPOs are overwhelmingly positive about GenAI’s effectiveness, with 100% citing effectiveness in tasks like chatbots and text summaries. This strong confidence exists even with heavy human oversight, suggesting effectiveness is judged relative to not having the tool at all.

    GenAI Workforce Impact

    The need for additional analytically skilled workers has increased for nearly all CPOs. Meanwhile, 100% of those who use the technology in highly automated ways report a reduced need for lower-skilled staff. GenAI is seen as leading to leaner teams, but not necessarily cheaper production.

    About

    PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE

    PYMNTS Intelligence is a leading global data and analytics platform that uses proprietary data and methods to provide actionable insights on what’s now and what’s next in payments, commerce and the digital economy. Its team of data scientists includes leading economists, econometricians, survey experts, financial analysts and marketing scientists with deep experience in the application of data to the issues that define the future of the digital transformation of the global economy. This multi-lingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world’s leading publicly traded and privately held firms.

    We are interested in your feedback on this report. If you have questions or comments, or if you would like to subscribe to this report, please email us at feedback@pymnts.com.

    Disclaimer

    PYMNTS Data Books may be updated periodically. While reasonable efforts are made to keep the content accurate and up to date, PYMNTS MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, ADEQUACY, OR RELIABILITY OF OR THE USE OF OR RESULTS THAT MAY BE GENERATED FROM THE USE OF THE INFORMATION OR THAT THE CONTENT WILL SATISFY YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS. THE CONTENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE CONTENT IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. PYMNTS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY INTERRUPTIONS IN THE CONTENT THAT IS PROVIDED AND DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENT, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT AND TITLE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES, AND, IN SUCH CASES, THE STATED EXCLUSIONS DO NOT APPLY. PYMNTS RESERVES THE RIGHT AND SHOULD NOT BE LIABLE SHOULD IT EXERCISE ITS RIGHT TO MODIFY, INTERRUPT, OR DISCONTINUE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE CONTENT OR ANY COMPONENT OF IT WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.
    PYMNTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, AND, IN PARTICULAR, SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF REVENUE, OR LOSS OF USE, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE CONTENT, WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARISE IN CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, TORT, UNDER STATUTE, IN EQUITY, AT LAW, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF PYMNTS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW FOR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, AND IN SUCH CASES, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS DO NOT APPLY. THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS ARE PROVIDED BY PYMNTS AND ITS PARENTS, AFFILIATED AND RELATED COMPANIES, CONTRACTORS, AND SPONSORS, AND EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, CONTENT COMPONENT PROVIDERS, LICENSORS, AND ADVISERS.
    Components of the content original to and the compilation produced by PYMNTS is the property of PYMNTS and cannot be reproduced without its prior written permission.