Kyndryl Report: Why Most Businesses Are Not Yet Winning With AI

Core Insights - A global study by Kyndryl reveals a significant gap between AI investment and workforce preparedness, with only a small number of organizations aligning their workforce strategies with AI growth [1][2] - Organizations that prioritize workforce readiness are positioned to achieve better returns on AI investments [1][4] Workforce Readiness - The survey included over 1,000 senior executives across 25 industries and eight geographies, highlighting that workforce readiness varies significantly by industry, with Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance showing the highest levels of preparedness, while Healthcare lags behind [2] - 71% of business leaders believe their workforces are not ready to leverage AI effectively, and 51% feel their organizations lack the skilled talent necessary for AI management [6][5] AI Adoption and Use Cases - Only 14% of companies are deploying AI for commercial use while simultaneously future-proofing their workforces [5] - Generative AI tools are the most popular use case, yet only 40% of leaders utilize AI-powered insights for decision-making or growth [3] Barriers to AI Adoption - AI Pacesetters, a small subset of organizations, are addressing key barriers to AI adoption and are three times more likely to have a fully implemented change management strategy [7] - These Pacesetters are 29% less likely to report employee trust issues regarding AI and are 67% more likely to have tools for accurately assessing employee skills [7] Leadership Perspectives - CEOs are more likely than CIOs and CTOs to view their organizations as being in the early stages of AI adoption and are more inclined to seek outside talent rather than upskill existing employees [4] - Aligning technology strategies with broader business goals is crucial for maximizing the benefits of AI, as noted by Kyndryl's leadership [8]