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From AI to ROI:
Who owns the problem?

Britain's businesses are spending big on AI. So why isn't it paying off - and who's accountable for fixing it? New research reveals exactly where that investment is breaking down - and why.

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Why your AI deployments are underperforming

AI is already reshaping how organisations work, with leaders expecting it to transform how they operate and compete. Yet despite that ambition, few are seeing the returns they expected.

Based on our exclusive research conducted by Censuswide, surveying 1,000 employees, 600 C-suite leaders, and 600 HR and L&D decision-makers, this report exposes why organisations continue to struggle to convert AI investment into measurable business value.

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Key findings

While much of the public debate around AI has focused on how fast the technology is advancing, our findings suggest a useful question for organisations isn't how quickly they are implementing AI, but whether their own workforce is developing enough to keep up.

This report unpacks where those gaps are widest - and what they reveal about the disconnect between AI ambition and AI readiness.

  • The Confidence-Capability Paradox

    Employees feel confident using AI - but leaders aren't convinced that confidence translates into real, ROI-driving capability.

  • The Ownership Vacuum

    74% of C-suite leaders rank AI adoption as a top priority. Only 39% of HR and L&D leaders agree - and that gap is already hitting commercial performance.

  • Building Capability vs. Buying Technology

    54% of C-suite leaders say AI investment has leaned more on technology than people. Our findings show exactly where development budgets need to go to drive real productivity.

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