With business leaders around the world now hailing AI as the answer to everything from boosting productivity to slashing costs, new research reveals a stark and growing disconnect between executive enthusiasm and workforce readiness. 

Polling more than 2,000 C-suite leaders for its third AI Insights Survey, tech consultancy Slalom found that while AI has become the centrepiece of corporate strategy, gaps in skills, systems, and leadership alignment threaten to slow progress.

The study found most global leaders expect the bulk of AI-driven transformation to be complete by 2030, with the most intense period of change, across roles, workflows, and systems, peaking between 2026 and 2028.

With competition set to heat up, nearly all (91%) companies plan to increase AI spending next year, an acceleration from last year’s projections, but while executives are confident these plans will deliver, only 39% measure the ROI of their investments.

That is leading to overconfidence around the operational realities of AI, and a misalignment between strategy and execution, not to mention leaders and employees. 

Slalom found that despite more firms claiming to invest in AI training, staff readiness remains a perennial barrier to reaching AI goals. 

A staggering 93% of firms reported workforce challenges are slowing AI adoption, with skills gaps cited as the biggest obstacle. Compounding this, half of organisations still run more than 50% of their core business systems on legacy platforms, meaning employees are being forced to take on new systems while still wrestling with outdated ones.

Recommended reading

• 40% of Tech Pros Expect to Make at Least 3 Career Changes
• Decline in UK Tech Job Adverts Threatens Young Talent Pipeline
• What Will Be Scotland’s Best Paid Tech Jobs in 2025

The survey shows that executives are consistently more optimistic about the progress of AI than mid-level leaders and the general workforce, and are much more likely to view AI as having a very positive industry impact.

Part of the reason execs are so enthusiastic is that AI has become central to C-suite decision making. Slalom discovered that two-thirds of companies already use AI assistants to address urgent business needs, and 95% of executives say they are comfortable with AI augmenting their strategic decision-making.

That may explain why business leaders are cooling on traditionally human skills. While half of executives still prioritise critical thinking and problem-solving, far fewer value soft skills, with just 22% saying communication and interpersonal abilities are essential, and only 19% looking for emotional intelligence or empathy among their staff.

“This is not the beginning of AI disruption. It’s the endgame of its first act,” said Amy Loftus, chief customer officer at Slalom.

“As executives push AI deeper into decision-making, the question becomes whether organisations have the data foundations and appropriate frameworks to ensure those decisions are trusted.”