82% of firms pressing ahead with investment in AI despite 50%

A lack of organisational expertise and lagging regulation could hamper AI adoption, according to workforce transformation experts, Orgvue.

  • Wednesday, 13th March 2024 Posted 1 year ago in by Phil Alsop

Research from Orgvue shows that businesses continue to ramp up investment in AI despite being unclear on its business impact or how to implement it. 82% of organisations have already invested, with another 33% saying they will increase this by more than 50% in the coming year.

Based on an international survey of 1,000 C-suite and senior decision makers at medium and large organisations, the report, Human-first, machine enhanced: the role of AI in workforce transformation, highlights contradictions in the business community concerning technology investment and AI’s impact on the workforce.

On the one hand, 61% of respondents said they expect AI to replace people in their organisation, with 41% saying they think AI will completely disrupt their industry. A further 69% said that AI will be the main driver of workforce transformation over the next three years. On the other hand, 48% are unsure how they will manage developments in AI to optimise the use of the technology.

Oliver Shaw, CEO of Orgvue, commented:

“Organisations are beginning to realise that the practicalities of embedding AI into core business operations is far from simple. There’s a dichotomy between the need for business leaders to prepare for AI entering the workforce, their desire for change, and the organisation’s ability to make this transformation a reality.

“This gap in thinking perhaps stems from a lack of clarity on exactly how AI will impact both businesses and their workforces – indeed the research indicates spending so far is more of a gold rush than a carefully plotted journey. This will also make managing the transformation all the harder.”

“Business leaders are excited about AI’s potential for growth and productivity (79%), but 70% said they have a responsibility to protect the workforce from redundancies before adopting AI and 78% think human intervention is critical to preventing negative outcomes from AI. For this reason, 80% plan to reskill employees to use AI in the workplace.

“Similarly, 78% want the government to introduce stricter rules and regulations, while 54% believe regulation has not kept up with the pace of investment in AI and 70% think AI should be regulated immediately.”

Shaw added:

“Whether it’s optimism or naivety, CEOs are confident AI will solve their business challenges. But the data shows that divisional leaders are less convinced on the impact of AI - with a pronounced scepticism at this level over the value AI can bring and how quickly it can realistically be embedded into everyday business operations.

“This is a dangerous position for organisations to find themselves in. A disconnect in perspective – between those at the top, and those responsible for delivery – will ultimately derail any long term plans for business change.

“To achieve their AI ambitions, CEOs should arm themselves with a better understanding of how AI will truly impact the work their people do today and the skills their organisation has as well as how this may change over time.” 

Over 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by the end of 2027, due to escalating costs, unclear business value or inadequate risk controls,...
The majority (83%) of IT and business professionals in Europe believe employees in their organisation are using AI.

AI and offshore outsourcing on the rise

Posted 1 day ago by Phil Alsop
Whitelane Research, an independent organisation specialising in IT sourcing research across Europe, has released its 2025 IT Sourcing Study for the...
55% report cloud environments are more complex to secure than on-premises infrastructure.
As demand for data-driven insights increases, data overload could render UK businesses operationally ineffective.

AI use is outpacing policy and governance

Posted 6 days ago by Phil Alsop
The majority (83%) of IT and business professionals in Europe believe employees in their organisation are using AI.

Fierce competition in global AI leadership

Posted 6 days ago by Phil Alsop
More than four out of five of CEOs and IT executives surveyed are driving AI growth for their companies.
Distributor looks to the future and shares channel growth and transformation drivers as it celebrates its 40th birthday.