Companies want to get serious about AI, but their employees don’t have the skills
- Employee AI skills are a barrier to successful AI adoption
- The outdated infrastructure also causes a problem
- Companies want clearer guidelines from the government
UK businesses are struggling to get a return on their AI investments due to the persistent skills gap, new research shows.
Three in five (59%) companies in Britain and Ireland surveyed by NTT Data believe their employees do not have the necessary skills to benefit from the transformative potential of AI.
However, employees may not be entirely to blame: more than a quarter (27%) of organizations in Britain and Ireland have yet to build expert generative AI teams, which is 10% more than the global average.
British companies are falling behind in AI
“As we move beyond experimentation, a tension arises: if we move too fast, we risk unintended circumstances; if we move too slowly, we fall behind,” said Yutaka Sasaki, CEO of NTT DATA Group.
Nearly all (99%) of organizations surveyed plan to advance their GenAI investments, hoping the technology will have a material impact on issues such as productivity and efficiency, sustainability, compliance, business processes, security and employee experience.
Two-thirds (67%) of respondents globally believe their employees do not have the right skills to work with GenAI, and even more (72%) noted that they do not have a GenAI usage policy for employees. In addition, companies are calling on governments to introduce clearer regulations on AI.
Limited perception of value, limited awareness, user resistance, and concerns around the safety and security of GenAI were highlighted as major barriers to adoption of the technology.
In addition to employee skills, there are other barriers that prevent companies from getting started with AI. Nine in 10 say legacy infrastructure hinders the effective use of AI, with most CIOs and CTOs recognizing that cloud-based solutions are the most practical method to support such applications.
Sasaki added: “The future is clear. Generative AI is more than just a tool: it is a transformative force.” However, as AI matures, it is becoming increasingly clear that the right foundation is critical before companies can consider any form of investment.
