According to a Kyndryl study, most businesses invest heavily in AI but fail to adequately train their staff. The report shows 71% of leaders say their teams are not ready to leverage AI effectively. Despite 95% of businesses investing in AI, only 14% of companies are successfully utilizing the technology for business growth. Michael Bradshaw, Kyndryl’s Global Practice Leader, emphasizes that aligning technology with workforce strategies is essential to unlock AI adoption.
Closing the Gap in AI Adoption for Success
Despite widespread AI investment, a large gap exists between technology deployment and workforce readiness. Globally, the Kyndryl study polled over 1,000 executives. According to the report, 51% of companies do not have the skilled workers needed to handle AI. Moreover, 45% of CEOs believe that their employees are against the application of AI, which suggests issues with trust.
Healthcare is far behind other industries in terms of workforce readiness, such as banking and financial services. Although generative AI is the most widely used application, only 20% of leaders say they use AI to create new products. Furthermore, only 40% claim that AI insights influence choices.
How Can Businesses Overcome Workforce Readiness Challenges
The report highlights a small group of AI pacesetters who excel in AI adoption by prioritizing workforce strategies. These companies are three times more likely to have full change management strategies. Additionally, they have better tools for monitoring employee skills and express less worry about how AI will affect employee engagement. Maryjo Charbonnier, Kyndryl’s Chief Human Resources Officer, notes that a proactive culture and skill development ecosystem are crucial for success. Additionally, these organizations help employees adjust and use AI tools efficiently by integrating skill data with customer demand.
Leadership Views Shaping the Future of AI Adoption
According to the Kyndryl study, there is a big gap in workforce readiness between CEOs and CIOs/CTOs. CEOs are more likely to report infrastructure gaps and consider their AI initiatives to be in their early stages. They typically favor hiring outside talent over retraining current staff, whereas CIOs prioritize developing internal capabilities. This gap has an impact on how businesses plan for their AI workforce strategies and overall expansion. This visual reinforces how industries differ in their approach to AI adoption. According to post-survey insights, businesses that strategically align workforce skills with AI needs achieve better business outcomes.
Closing the skills gap is critical for improving workforce readiness. Kyndryl found that Pacesetters are 67% more likely to have systems to track employee skills accurately. This allows targeted training and better AI tool usage. However, if these gaps are not addressed, the majority of businesses lose out on growth opportunities and risk underutilizing their AI investments.
Future Directions Are Aligning AI with Workforce Strategies
Kyndryl experts emphasize that preparing employees for AI is critical but difficult. Businesses need to prepare for the business effects of AI and create multifaceted skill-building strategies. Additionally, giving teams the tools they need to work with generative AI and other tools guarantees a competitive advantage and long-term business growth.
Kyndryl’s Chief Information Officer, Kim Basile, emphasizes the importance of high-level alignment between business objectives and technology. Therefore, it is critical to integrate AI strategies with change management and workforce readiness.
Can Workforce Readiness Unlock Business Growth with AI?
The report claims that although practically all businesses are investing in AI, the true benefits will come from workforce readiness. AI pacesetters show how to fully utilize AI for business growth by coordinating skill development, change management, and employee trust. Therefore, investing in technology is not as important for businesses as concentrating on their workforce.
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