2025

AIREADINESSREPORT

PresentedbyClimbChannelSolutions

?2025,ClimbChannelSolutions,AllRightsReserved.

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

TableofContents

ExecutiveSummaryandIntroduction 3

MethodologyandTheRespondents 4

KeyFindings 5

AIAdoptionandReadiness 6

Governance,Policy,Training 9

BusinessDriversandBarriers 12

SecurityandRiskManagement 14

SustainabilityandResponsibleAI 16

CultureandAttitudes 17

HowClimbCanHelp 18

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

ExecutiveSummaryandIntroduction

AsanITdistributor,weknowthedemandforAIisreal,immediate,andgrowing.ButwhereexactlyareorganisationsontheirAIjourney?Doesreadinessvarybetweenregions?Andmostimportantly,wherecanpartnersmakethebiggestimpactin

supportingcustomers?

Tofindout,werananindependentAIReadinessSurveyof600AIandITdecisionmakersinlargeenterprisesacrosstheUnitedKingdom,RepublicofIreland,andGermany.Ourgoalwastogetaclear,data-drivenviewofhowpreparedorganisationsreallyareforAIadoption.Thesurveylookedatmaturity,barriers,investment,andtheroleofAIincybersecurityandsustainabilitysuccess.

Thefindingsareeye-opening.MorethanhalftheworkforceisalreadyusingAItools,oftenwithout

leadershipvisibility.Over54%ofrespondentsadmittedenteringconfidentialbusinessorcustomerdataintoAIplatforms,while43%saidtheirorganisationhasnocleardefinitionofwhat’ssafetouse.Adoptionisracingaheadofgovernance,andthat’swherepartnerscanstepintohelpcustomersputtherightframeworksin

place.

Butthereareencouragingsignalstoo.Amajorityoforganisations(56.2%)believethatAIwillhelpthemmeettheirESGgoals,andmorethanhalf(54.7%)plantoincreaseinvestmentinAI-drivensustainabilityinitiativesoverthenextthreeyears.Acrossallthreeregions,productivity(33.8%),costsavings(33.5%),andrevenue

growth(31.8%)arethetopAIadoptiondrivers–showingthatAIisfirmlytiedtobusinessoutcomesandnotjustexperimentation.

It’snotenoughtojusttalkaboutAI.AtClimb,wewanttounderstandhowAIisreallybeingused,wherethegapsare,andwhatsupportpartnersneedtoclosethem.With62%oforganisationsacrosstheUK,Ireland,andGermanyalreadyharnessingAI,adoptioniswellunderway–butgovernanceandsecurityarestill

catchingup,anduseisnotyetuniversal.

That’swhywe’reputtingdatainthehandsofourpartners:tohelpthemhaveimportantconversations,buildstrongerframeworks,guidecustomersthroughrisk,andensureAIinvestmentstranslateintorealbusinessoutcomes.That’swhatsuccesslookslikeinthisnextwaveofadoption.

RobertaMcCrossan

EMEAMarketingDirector,Climb

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

MethodologyandTheRespondents

ThisreportisbasedonanindependentsurveyconductedbyCensuswideonbehalfofClimbChannelSolutionsinJuly/August2025.Theresearchwascarriedoutwith600enterpriserespondentsacrosstheUK,Ireland,andGermany.

ThesurveyexploredthefullspectrumofAIreadiness,frommaturitytogovernance,security,sustainability,andculturalattitudes.RespondentswereaskednotonlyhowtheyaredeployingAItoday,butalsowhatbarrierstheyface,howemployeesarebeingsupported,andwhatroletheyexpectAItoplayintheirorganisationsoverthe

comingyears.Thefullsetofquestionsisprovidedintheappendixattheendofthisreport.

Findingswereanalysedatbotharegionalandoverallleveltohighlightcommonpatternsaswellascountry-specificcontrasts.Theresultisadata-drivenpictureofhoworganisationsareapproachingAIadoptioninpractice,and

wherethemostsignificantgaps–andopportunities–remain.

Whowespoketo

Companysize:

?UKandGermany–enterpriseswithover500employees

?Ireland–enterpriseswithover250employees

?Over80%ofrespondentsarefromorganisationswith1000+employees

Rolesandseniority:

?C-levelITleadership(CIOs,CTOs,CISOs)makeupoverathirdofrespondents.

?Afurther21%holdheadsofsecurityandtechnicalroles(headofsecurityops,headofAI,headofcyberthreatintelligence,headofITsecuritysolutions/architecture)

?Specialistexpertiseisalsorepresented:machinelearningengineersandAIarchitects–representingthedepthoftechnicalcapabilitywithintherespondentbase.

Industrysectors:

?ThedatasetisIT-heavy–40%ofrespondentsarefromITandtelecoms,influencingthetechnicaldepthofusecases.

?Otherrepresentedsectorsincludefinance(12%),healthcare(9.5%),andmanufacturingandutilities(7.5%).

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

KeyFindings

1

ManyorganisationsareusingAIwithoutrealisingitsbenefits.

53.5%placethemselvesinthe“AIGap”wheretools

areinuse,butvalueisnotbeingdelivered.Nearlyhalflackthepolicies,strategies,orframeworkstoturnAIadoptionintomeasurableoutcomes.

2

IrelandreportsstrongerimpactthantheUKorGermany.

45%ofIrishrespondentssayAIhasalreadyimprovedtheirorganisation,comparedwith33.5%intheUKand25.5%inGermany.Adoptioniswidespread,butthe

gainsarenotevenlydistributed.

3

Largeenterprisesexpectquickreturnsbutfaceslowdelivery.

InIreland,40%oforganisationsexpectROIwithin1-6months.IntheUKit’s27%andinGermany28.5%.

4

Traininghasnotreachedthemajorityofemployees.

49.2%oforganisationshavetrainedfewerthanhalfoftheirstaff,andonly7.2%havetrainedmorethan80%.

5

CompliancewiththeEUAIActisfarfromassured.

Only51.3%believetheirstrategyiscompliant.45%admitthattheydonotknowtheirorganisation’s

compliancerequirements.

6

Barriersareasmuchculturalastheyaretechnical.

Technologyreadiness(22.5%)andcost(22.3%)are

leadingobstaclestoAIadoption,butleadership

hesitation(16.8%),lackofalignment(16.3%),and

resistancetochange(16.2%)arealsosignificant.SkillsandsystemsalonewillnotclosetheAIGap.

7

PartnershipsareunderusedinscalingAI.55%oforganisationsplantoexpandAI

initiativesand52%expecttoincreaseinvestment,

yet47%arenotengagingwithresellersorvendors.

Additionally,56%revealthereisincreasingdemandamongcustomersformoreAIsolutions/services.Thisleavesamajoropportunityforthechanneltoprovidesolutionsandsupport.

8

Securityconcernsarespreadacrossmultiplefronts.

Respondentsciteddataprivacy(36.2%),compliance

(33%),bias(29.8%),datatheft(28.5%),insiderthreats(28.3%),anddeepfakes(28.3%)astheirbiggestsecurityconcernswhenitcomestoAIusage.Nosinglerisk

standsout,suggestingthatorganisationsmusttreatAIsecurityasamulti-dimensionalchallenge.

9

AIisbeingintegratedintosustainabilitystrategies.

56.2%sayAIwillhelpthemmeetESGgoals,52.67%alreadymeasuretheenvironmentaloutput/inputofAIsolutions,and56.7%believethatthesustainabilityopportunitiesprovidedbyAIoutweightheassociatedrisks.

10

PeoplewilldecideAI’ssuccess.

CulturalattitudestowardsAIaredivided:

26.1%sayAIisbeingdeployedtooquicklyintheir

organisation,22.7%saytooslow.Onjobs,28.8%expectAItocreatenewroleswhile22.8%fearjoblosses.

FutureAIsuccesswillrequireleadershipalignment,clearcross-organisationalcommunication,and

improvedemployeeconfidence.

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

AIAdoptionandReadiness

Howwouldyourateyourcompany’sAIreadiness?

Whereenterprisesaretoday

AIadoptioniswidespreadacrossEMEA,butmaturity

isuneven.61%oforganisationsdescribeAIas“well

understoodandimplemented”,yetthisfiguredisguisesthefactthat30.5%arestillidentifyingusecasesand

7.5%remainexploratory.Only1%reportnoAIplansatall,whichshowsthatAIhaspassedthe“if”stage,butthe“how”isverymuchstillinplay.

Thenationalbreakdownreflectsthesamepicture.In

theUK,63%oforganisationssayAIisimplemented,

with28.5%stillidentifyingusecasesand8.5%

exploratory.InIreland,62.5%areimplemented,32%areidentifying,and5%exploratory.InGermany,57.5%areimplemented,31%identifying,and9%exploratory.

Readinessisfragmented

Q7paintsamorenuancedpictureofoperational

maturity,showingthatwhileadoptionishappening,thefoundationstoscaleandsustainvalueareoftenmissing.53.5%oforganisationsadmittheyareinthe“AIGap”–usingAI,butnottoitsfullpotential.Meanwhile,47.5%reportthattherearenoclearguidelinesorpoliciesforAIuse,47.3%reportnostructuredstrategyorroadmap,and48%eitherdonothave,orareunsureiftheyhave,formalstructurestoderivevaluefromgenerativeAI.

i

ClimbComment:Thispointstoincompletematurity

Adoptionishappening,butwithoutclearpolicies,

strategies,andoversight,organisationsriskscalingAIwithoutthecontrolsneededtodelivervalueormanagerisk

AIREADINESSREPORT|AIAdoptionandReadiness

Organisationscaleandtimelines

Thesizeoftheorganisationssurveyedhelpsexplain

whyadoptionoftenlooksambitiousbutplaysout

slowly.83%ofrespondentsarefromorganisationswith1000+employees,suggestingthatmanyoperatein

complexorregulatedenvironmentswhererollingoutAIprojectsrequiresmulti-stakeholderalignment.

Largerorganisationsreportlongerdeploymenttimes:33%expectdeploymentin1-6months,31.8%in7-11months,and16%in1-2years(Q10).Bycontrast,

organisationsinthe200-1000employeerangeskewtowardfasterdeploymentbands,suggestingthatscalecouldactasabrakeonspeed.

i

ClimbComment:Inlargerorganisations,isambitioncollidingwithbureaucracy?Theintentisstrong,butdeliverycan

beslowedbymultistakeholderprocessesThiscreatesanopportunity,however,fordistributorsandresellerpartnerstopackagesolutionsthataccelerateAIadoptionsafely

withincomplexenvironments

HowAIisbeingused

Adoptionisnotuniform.Whatorganisationsprioritisesaysmoreabouttheirmaturitythanadoptionrates

alone.OrganisationsaredeployingAIacrossarange

ofworkloads(Q12):productdevelopment(20.5%),

automationofrepetitivetasks(20.2%),project

scheduling(20.2%),financeandforecasting(19.9%),

cybersecuritydetection(18.9%),videocreation(18.9%),

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imageprocessing(17.5%),anddataanalysis(17.2%)

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

ThereareregionaIdifferences:Germanorganisationsover-indexonautomation(22.6%).InIreIand,23.2%oforganisationsuseAItoautomaterepetitivetasks,butspreadsusagemorebroadIyacrossprojectscheduIingandcreativetasks.TheUKIeadsonimageprocessing(22.2%)andisaIsoaboveincybersecuritydetection.

i

ClimbComment:GermanyappearstofocusAIon

operationaIefficiencyandpredictabiIity.TheUKshowsgrowthinsecurityandcreativeworkIoads,whiIe

IreIand)sspreadacrossmuItipIecategoriessuggestsamoreexpIoratoryAIecosystem.ForthechanneI,

thispointstoopportunitiesforgeography-specific

enabIement-automationacceIeratorsinGermany,securityandcreativesupportintheUK,andbroaderPoVprogrammesinIreIand.

Sentimentvsaction

WhiIeadoptionishigh,optimismisn)tuniversaI(Q8).InIreIand,45%ofrespondentsfeeIAIimprovestheirworkpIaceimpact.IntheUK,thatfigurefaIIsto33.5%,andinGermany,just25.5%.NeutraIandnegative

sentimentcombinedoutnumberpositivesinboththeUKandGermany,perhapshintingatearIyAIfatigue.AretooIsbeingimpIementedfasterthantheycan

deIivertangibIevaIue?IreIandistheexception,wherepositivityisfarhigher,raisingthequestionofwhat)sdrivingenthusiasminthisregion.

ByroIe,AIspeciaIistsaremoreoptimistic(33.5%)

thanITIeaders(30.6%),perhapsreflectingtheirdirectexperienceofcapabiIitygains.Bycontrast,HeadsofCyberThreatInteIIigencearetheIeastpositive,IikeIyduetoconcernsoverdataIossandAI-enabIedattackrisks.

i

ClimbComment:IreIandstandsouthereforits

enthusiasm,whiIeGermanyismorescepticaIandrisk

conscious.Thesedividesmatter:enthusiasmfueIs

adoption,whiIecautionsignaIswheregovernanceandassurancemayneedtobestronger.

AIREADINESSREPORT|AIAdoptionandReadiness

ROIexpectationsandmarketreadiness

OrganisationsacrossEuropeexpectAItodeIiver

resuItsquickIy,butthetimeIinesvarybycountry,andIreIandstandsout.NearIyathirdofaIIrespondents

(32%)beIievetheirorganisationwiIIseeROIwithin1-6months.ThatconfidencecIimbsevenhigherinIreIand,where40%expecttomovefrompiIottopaybackin1-6months,comparedwith27%intheUK,and28.5%in

Germany.

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

ThisacceleratedtimelinealignswithIreland’snationalAIstrategyandwiderinnovationecosystem.With

stronggovernmentbacking,linkstoEUsupercomputinghubs,andastrongstartupcommunity,Irish

organisationsappeartoviewrapidROIasnotonlyachievablebutstrategicallynecessary.

TheUKandGermanypresentadifferentpicture.Whilefewerorganisationsinthesemarketsexpectbroad1-6monthreturns,16.5%ofUKorganisationsand21%inGermanyexpectROIinunderthreeweeks.Thismay

suggestamorematureorspecialisedformofadoption–slowertospreadacrossthebusinessbutdeliveringsharpgainsinspecificusecases.

Together,theseresultsshowtwofacesofAIreadinessinEurope.Irelandreflectsoptimismandurgency,

bettingonshort-cyclepaybacktosecurecompetitiveadvantage.TheUKandGermanyreflectsteadier,moreselectiveprogress,withpocketsofrapidreturnbuta

morecautiousoverallpace.

AndwhileROIoptimismishigheverywhere,therearestillstructuralfactorsthatcouldslowthepaceofROIrealisation.Only54%oforganisationssaytheyhaveprovidedAItraining,puttingpressureonworkforce

readiness.InIreland,61.9%ofrespondentssaytheylackstructuretocapturevaluefromgenerativeAI,

pointingtogovernanceimmaturity.AndacrossEMEA,oneinfiveorganisationscitedataprivacy(19.5%)andsecurityrisks(19%)asbarrierstoadoption.

GaryMorris

Pre-SalesDirector,Climb

Ireland’sboldsix-monthROItargetssignalamarketintentonleading.TheUKandGermanyshowthat

eveninmatureorganisations,ROIoftencomesfirstfromtargeteddeployments.Forthechannel,ROI

storiesneedtobetolddifferentlyineachmarket–whetherthat’saboutscaleandspeedinIreland,andProofofValueanddepthintheUKandGermany.

AIREADINESSREPORT|AIAdoptionandReadiness

Partnershippotentialinascalingmarket

Theadoptionstoryisnotjustabouttechnology.It’salsoaboutwhoorganisationschosetoworkwith.Nearlyhalf(47%)oforganisationsarenotcurrentlyworkingwithareseller,and44%arenotcollaboratingwithtechnologyvendors.

Overhalf(55%)oforganisationsplantoscaletheirAIinitiatives,51.7%areinvestingmoreinAIthisyearthanlast,and55.8%reportrisingcustomerdemandforAI

solutions(Q6,Q7).ThesefiguresunderscorethatwhileAIadoptionisgrowinginsideorganisations,manystilllackthepartnerswhocanhelpthemscalewithspeedandconfidence.

BrianDavis

VPofSalesUK&Ireland,Climb

Asizeablesegmentofthemarketremainsuntappedfor

partnershipandguidance.Theopportunityhereisto

deepensupportfororganisationsalreadycollaboratingwithresellersandvendors,andopenconversationswiththe

.

largeminoritywhoarestillnavigatingAIadoptionalone

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2025AIREADINESSREPORT

Governance,Policy,Training

61%ofrespondentsdescribeAIas“weIIunderstood

andimpIemented”intheirorganisation.Butdeeper

signaIsinIaterquestionsteIIadifferentstory:AIisIiveinmanyorganisations,butoftenwithoutthestructures,skiIIs,andIeadershipaIignmenttodepIoyiteffectiveIyorsafeIy.

Trainingandworkforcereadiness

ForaIItheheadIinesaboutAIadoption,thenumberssuggestthatempIoyeesarestiIIIearningtheropes

withoutmuchguidance.JustoverhaIfoforganisations(54%)saytheyhaveprovidedAItraining(Q7).Even

amongAIandITdecision-makers,trainingisfarfromuniversaI:52.9%ofAIIeadersand60%ofITIeadershavehadtraining.ThatmeansasignificantshareofthosesettingdirectionarestiIItryingtocatchup.

CoverageacrossthewiderworkforceisthinnerstiII.

AImosthaIfoforganisations(49.2%)admitthatfewerthanhaIfoftheirstaffhavereceivedtraining(Q5b).

OnIy7.2%havetrainedmorethan80%ofempIoyees.Inpractice,mostcompaniesareaskingstafftousenewsystemswithoutshowingthemhow.

WhenaskedwhatkindoftrainingwouIdheIptheir

organisationbecomemoreAI-mature,respondentsdidnotIimittheiranswerstotechnicaIskiIIs.Amongthosewhoidentifiedtrainingasnecessary,37.9%

pointedtostrategyandreadiness,34.6%totechnicaI

deveIopment,34.1%toeverydayusage,33.5%to

interactiontechniques,and31.3%tosecurity.NearIyaquarter(24.2%)aIsoemphasisedreguIationandethics(Q5a).Inotherwords,thedemandforenabIement

stretchesweIIbeyondtooIproficiency:empIoyeesareIookingforstructuredguidanceonhowtouseAIsafeIy,responsibIy,andinIinewithorganisationaIgoaIs.

CuIturepIaysitsparttoo.JustoverhaIfofempIoyeesfeeIcomfortabIewithgenerativeAI(53.2%)andsay

theyareencouragedtoexperiment(53.7%)(Q6).Therestremainwary,hoIdingbackfromtheverypracticesthatwouIdbuiIdconfidenceandcapabiIity.

RonnieHamilton

Pre-SalesDirector,Climb

RoIIingoutAIwithoutscaIingtrainingwiIIIikeIyIeadto

staIIedprogress.SomepeopIewiIIadaptquickIy,butmostwiIImuddIethrough-andthatintroducessecurityrisks.

UntiItrainingiswidespread,comprehensive,andstructured,organisationsacrosstheUKandEuropemaynotseethe

vaIuefromAIthatthey)repayingfor.

Leadershipvisibility

IftraininghighIightstheskiIIsgap,IeadershipvisibiIity

highIightstheaIignmentgap.Onthesurface,IeadersaresignaIIingsupport:51.7%oforganisationsareinvesting

Whatpercentageofthestaffinyourorganisation

hasreceivedformalAItraining?

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AIREADINESSREPORT|Governance,PoIicy,Training

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

moreinAIthisyear,and50.8%ofrespondentssaythatcurrentinvestmentissufficient(Q7).Butthosenumbersarehardlydecisive.Halfofenterprisesarestillunder-

investingintheeyesoftheiremployees.

Moretellingistheperceptionofunderstanding.Asmallmajority(54%)believeleadershiphasagoodgraspof

howAIisbeingusedday-to-day.Yetalmostfourintendisagree(Q7).Inpractice,thatmeansmanyleadersarewritingthechequeswithoutseeinghowtoolsarebeingappliedinworkflows.

Thesurvey’sbarriersdatareinforcesthecostofthat

gap.WhenaskedtoidentifythetopobstaclestoAI

adoption,respondentspointedtocultureandmindset(19.8%),leadershiphesitation(16.3%),lackofalignment(16.3%),andresistancetochange(16.2%)(Q13).

i

ClimbComment:Unlessleadershipgetsadeeper

understandingofhowAIisreallybeingusedacross

theirorganisations,adoptionwillremainuneven,

andemployeeswillfillthegapswiththeirown

workarounds

Governanceandpolicy

Justoverhalfoforganisationsinoursurveyhave

introducedformalAIoversightmechanisms:54.3%saytheyhaveanapprovedlistofAItoolsforemployees,and52.3%reporthavinganamedpersonorcouncilinplacetooverseeAIuse.

Asimilarproportion—52.5%—reportclearday-to-

dayguidelinesforusingAIatwork,andjustoverhalf

saytheytrainstaffonresponsibleuse(55.5%)orhaveasafe-usepolicy(55.7%)(Q14).

Unsure

9%

Yes

No

39.7%

51.3%

Doyouthinkyourorganisation’sAI

strategywillbecompliantwiththeEUAIAct?

ThatleavesnearlyhalfofenterprisesrunningAI

projectswithoutformalguardrails.Employeesare

makingdailydecisionsaboutcompliance,datasecurity,andvaluewithoutclearboundaries.

TheEUAIActraisesthestakes.Only51.3%believe

theirAIstrategywillbecompliant,while39.7%say

noand9%areunsure(Q14).Awarenessisslightly

better(54.8%saytheyareawareofAIcompliance

requirements),butthefiguresrevealthatorganisationsarestillbracingforregulationratherthanpreparing

proactively.

MartinBichler

CountryManager,DACHRegion,Climb

Half-measureswon’tbeenoughundertheEUAIAct.

Policies,councils,andaudittrailsaretheevidence

regulatorswilldemand.Organisationsthatinvestin

governancenowwillsavethemselvesfarmoredisruptionlater.

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AIREADINESSREPORT|Governance,Policy,Training

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

Regionalcontrastsareclear.Irelandleadson

bothinvestmentandgovernance–55.5%ofIrish

organisationsareincreasingAIspendthisyear,and

58%reporthavingapprovedtoollists.Germanyismorecautious,with52.5%increasingspendingandonly

48.5%havingapprovedlists,perhapsreflectinglower

confidenceinregulatorycompliance.TheUKshows

fasteradoptionoftools(56.5%reportapprovedlists)butthelowestincreaseinspending,atjust47%,suggestinginvestmentisnotkeepingpacewithusage.

i

ClimbComment:TheAIgapiswhereorganisationswillsee

wastedcostandmissedopportunityLicencesarepaidfor

butunderused,projectsarelaunchedbutneverscaledintoproduction,andriskgrowswithoutproperoversightClosingthatgaprequiresprogressonthreefrontsatonce:equippingtheworkforce,aligningleadership,andembedding

governance

TheAIGap

Perhapstheclearestmeasureofmaturityistheonethatorganisationsarewillingtoadmit.53.5%saytheyfallintotheAIgap–usingAI,butnottoitsfullpotential(Q7).Thatfigurerisesto57%inGermanyand56.5%inIreland,

whiletheUKislowerat47%.

ThereasonsbehindthisadmissionarecapturedintheQ13barriersdata,whichaskedrespondentstoidentifythetopobstaclestoAIadoption.Theleadingissuescutacrossbothtechnicalandorganisationaldomains:technologyreadiness(22.5%),implementationcosts(22.3%),securityconcerns(21.7%),anddataprivacy(20.2%)sitalongsideculturalandleadershipblockerssuchascultureandmindset(19.8%),leadershiphesitation(16.3%),lackof

leadershipalignment(16.3%),andresistancetochange(16.2%).Thesearenotminorteethingproblems;theyaresystemicinhibitorsthatslowprogressacrossentireorganisations.

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AIREADINESSREPORT|Governance,Policy,Training

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

BusinessDriversandBarriers

Investmentposition:momentumbuilding

ThemoneyisfoIIowingtheintent.JustoverhaIfoforganisations(51.7%)areincreasingtheirAIinvestmentthisyearcomparedwithIast(Q7).

RegionaIIy,momentumisstrongestinIreIand(55.5%)andGermany(52.5%),whiIetheUKIagsat47%.

PIannedbudgetsreinforcethistrend.MostcIuster

inthe￡255,825-￡426,373range,withasizeabIe

minoritypIanningtospendabove￡426k(Q9).Veryfewintendtocrossthe￡2.13MthreshoId,suggestingspendingisbeingphasedcarefuIIy.CruciaIIy,no

organisationreportedzerospend.Theabsenceofa“nobudget”groupshowsthatAIhascrossedapsychoIogicaIthreshoId:itisessentiaI.

i

ClimbComment:Takentogether,thesefigurespoint

toachangeintoneOrganisationsarefunding

meaningfuIprogrammesdesignedforphasedbenefitsandcarefuIoversight,withbudgetssizedtoshow

resuItsquickIy,buiIdinternaIconfidence,andexpandinmeasuredincrements

What’sdrivingadoption?Sharedpriorities,localdifferences

WhenaskedwhytheyareadoptingAI,organisationsconvergeonfamiIiarbusinessimperatives-

productivity,costefficiency,andrevenuegrowth-butthebaIanceshiftsbycountry(Q12).

UnitedKingdom:Productivity(36.5%),costsavings(36%)andrevenuegrowth(35.5%)dominate.Riskmanagement(31.5%)andsecurity(31%)aIsorankhigh,suggestingthatUKorganisationsarepursuingoutcomesbutwithoneeyeonexposure.

Germany:Driversskewtowardsprocessand

costdiscipIine.Costreduction(33.5%)edgesout

productivity(32%)andefficiency(31%),withrevenue,riskmanagementandproductdeveIopmentaII

cIosebehindat29.5%.TheGermanprofiIereflectsameasured,industriaIIogic:efficiencyandstructuredreturnsoverquickwins.

Ireland:Productivity(33%)andcustomerexperience

(33%)Iead,foIIowedbycostreduction(31%)and

revenuegrowth(30.5%).Riskmanagement(29%)and

efficiency(29%)sitIower.IreIand)spictureismore

outward-facing:AIisframedtoenhancecustomervaIueandpeopIe-centricgains,notjustefficiency.

AcrossaIIthreemarkets,theheadIineisthat

productivity(33.8%)andcostsavings(33.5%)arethemostcitedaimsoveraII,withrevenuegrowth(31.8%)cIosebehind.ButtheregionaIemphasismatters.TheUKtempersambitionwithcaution,GermanyprizesdiscipIine,andIreIandIeanstowardscustomersandempIoyees.

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AIREADINESSREPORT|BusinessDriversandBarriers

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

Driversvstimelines

ThebusinesscaseforAIisrootedinpragmatism,butthetimelinesshowastrikingconfidence.AccordingtoQ10,76.6%oforganisationsexpecttomovefromexplorationtofulloperationalprocessimplementationwithin12

months.Q11showsthat47.2%anticipateROIwithin0-6months,with32%anticipatingitbetween1-6months.

ThiscompressedtimeframesuggeststhatenterprisesviewAIascapableofdeliveringnear-termbenefits—from

productivityandcostsavingstorevenuegrowth—ratherthanbeingconfinedtolong-termR&D.Italsosignalsthatleadershipisunderpressuretoshowmeasurablereturnsquickly,reinforcingwhybudgetsarebeingphasedfor

visibleimpactratherthanbig-bangtransformation(Q9).

Therisk,ofcourse,isthattimelinesovertakecapability.Barrierssuchastechnologyreadiness(22.5%)and

implementationcosts(22.3%)(Q13)remindusthatintegrationandscalingarenotinstant.Yetoptimismitselfisameaningfulsignal.ExpectationsoffastROIshowthatAIhasalreadycrossedaculturalthreshold:organisationsnolongeraskifitwilladdvalue,buthowsoon.

Howlongisittaking/willittakeyourorganisationtogofromAI

explorationtofulloperationalprocessimplementation?

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AIREADINESSREPORT|BusinessDriversandBarriers

2025AIREADINESSREPORT

SecurityandRiskManagement

Innovationvsrisk:adividedmarket

AIisviewedacrossEuropewithamixofconfidenceandcaution.JustoverhaIfofrespondents(53.3%)beIieveitsinnovationpotenti