AI

Workforce-

From

Hype

toHard

TruthsWhatittakestodeliver

AIvalueKPMG.MaketheDifference.Billionshavebeenspentchasing

the

AI

wave-but

toooften,

thatmoney

wentintolicenses

withoutlogic,pilots

withoutpurpose,andhype

withoutaplan.Thereality?Mostorganisationsarenowherenear

capturing

AI’s

fullpotential.

Why?Becausetheytreated

AIlikeasystemupgrade,nota

strategicrevolution.Why

AIvalueremainselusiveOver

the

last3years,we

have

studied

business’s

reactionsto

AItechnologyandthe

journeymanyorganisationshavebeenonseekingthe

“promisedbenefitsthat

AIwilldeliver”.Whilstthere

has

been

success

in

some

areas,themajoritystillhaveawaytogobeforetranslating

theirinvestmentintotruebusinessvalue.When

AItrulytookitsplaceatthecentreoftraditional

business

operations

in2022,bothbusinessesandconsultanciesstartedtryingto

understandwhatthismeantforthem.Manybegantoexperimentandget‘handson’withthe

tooling,whilstothersstoodbacktoseehowthe

firstmoversfairedinthenewworld.Overthisperiod,ourunderstandingandapproacheshavealsosignificantlychanged.

AIrequiresacompletelydifferentapproachthan

traditionaltransformation,onethatisironically

morefocusedonpeoplethanthetechnology.AI:apeopleand

business

revolutionOneofthechallengescorporatesarefacinginnavigating

theAI

revolution

is

the

lack

of

clarity

associetyatlargestillstrugglestounderstandthe

impactofthetechnology.Bigquestionsremain,

suchas:Howdo

youregulateeffectivelywithout

disadvantagingyourmarket?Howdoyouprevent

AIcapabilityfallingintothehandsofindividualswiththecapacitytoharm?

Andwhatdoesthe

futureofworklooklikewhen

AIcanperforma

largepercentageofworkdonetoday?Whilsttheanswerstotheaboveare

stillindevelopment,onethingisforcertain,

AIisgoing

todramaticallychangethewayinwhichworkis

completedandwillrequireameasuredapproach,

bringingeveryoneonthe

journey.Thisreportoutlinesourperspectiveondelivering

real

AI

value,drawing

on

four

yearsofexperienceworkingwithC-suiteleadersandobservinghoworganisationsadopt

AIacrosstheirworkforces.Ithighlightsthecriticallessonslearnedintranslatingtechnologyinvestmentintomeasurableimpactandexploreshowemergingcapabilities-like

agentic

AI-are

reshapingroles,workflows,andtheskillspeopleneedtosucceed.Bycombininginsightsfrombothtechnologyandhumanbehaviour,weprovidearoadmapfororganisationsseekingtomovebeyondexperimentationandbuildsustainableAI-drivenperformance.We’restillat

theearlystageof

theadoption

curvein

the

workplace—

innovatorsand

earlyadoptersarepushingboundaries,butmassadoptionis

yet

tocome.Michael

Allen-PeopleConsultingPartnerThe

rush

is

over.Now

it’s

time

tomakeAIwork2AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.xx01Ataglance0404Evolvingsystemsdemandevolvingpeople1402Lessonsfrom

thelastyear0605Fromhype

toimpact:evolvingyour

AIstrategy

forsustainable

value1803Industry

focus0906HowKPMGcanhelp23Termsused

throught

thisreportAdoption

–

The

process

of

integrating

AI

into

everyday

business

operations.AI

–Technology

thatenablesmachines

tomimichumanintelligence.AITooling

–

AI

enabled

tools

which

supports

employees

doing

current

tasks

more

effectively.E.g.Microsoft

CopilotAgents/Agentic

AI

–

AI

agents

complete

processes

and

are

able

to

make

decisions.

Agents

are

a

newer

form

of

AIwhichsupports

thereimaginingofprocesses.LLMs(Large

Language

Models)–

Advanced

AI

models

capable

of

understanding

and

generating

human-like

text.Contents3AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.

Glossary

ContactsAtaglanceAIhasmovedrapidly

fromhype

tohard

truths.Organisationsacrossevery

sectorhaveinvestedheavilyinnew

tools

andpilots,but

toooften

thereturnhasbeenmodest.The

real

lesson

is

clear:value

from

AIdoesnotcomefromtechnologyalone.Itcomesfromhowpeopleadopt,adapt,and

reimaginethewayworkisdone.Behavioural

scienceoffersthemissinglens

–showingusthatadoptionisnot

justatechnicalrollout

butahumantransformation.Manyorganisationshaveyettorealise

valuefrom

AIDespiteboldinvestments,toofewprogrammeshavedelivered

sustainedreturns.Lessonsfrom

ourclientsshowthatfailureoftenstemsfromunclearvaluetracking,applyingoldwaysofworkingtonewtechnology,orrollingoutcapabilitywithoutunderstandinghow

AIfitsintorolesandworkflows.

Withoutproofofimpact,securingfurther

investmentbecomesachallenge.Progressvariessignificantlyacross

sectorsSectors

such

as

retail

have

movedfast,oftenprioritisingcostsavings

andquickROI,whilemanufacturing

andenergyremaincautious,slowedbyscaleandcomplexity.Healthcareshowsambitionbutisfragmentedinexecution,whilebankingandinsuranceface

regulatoryhurdlesthatcreatetensionbetweenopportunityand

risk.

Thesedifferenceshighlight

thatthereisnouniversalblueprint

–strategiesmustreflectsectordynamics,competitivepressures,

andregulatorycontext.

ofpeopleare

willing

to

trust

AIsystemsglobally.Source:Trust,attitudesanduseofartificialintelligence:

A

global

study,20254OnlYet,trustremainsacriticalchallenge.Globally,only46%

of

people

arewillingtotrust

AIsystems(Trust,

attitudesanduseofartificialintelligence:

Aglobalstudy,2025).

This

makes

transparency,governance,anduserconfidence

essentialfororganisationsseeking

torealisethefullvalueof

theirAIinvestments.4AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.From

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeopleLessonsfromthelastyearHow

KPMG

can

help12IndustryfocusAtaglanceBehaviouralscienceandworkforcetransformationarecentralto

AIsuccessAIadoptionoftenstumbleswhen

organisationsforgetthehumanside.People

don’t

like

beingchanged,buttheywillembrace

changewhenitfeelsmeaningful,

safe,anddoable.

Winningheartsand

minds

is

as

important

aschangingtasks.At

scale,this

isn’t

about

bigoperating

model

overhauls–it’saboutmakingeverydayworkeasier,buildingconfidencethrough

learning,andshowinghow

AIhelps

peoplesucceed.Impacthastobe

visible:whetherit’ssavingtime,improvingcustomerexperiences,

ormakingworkmorerewarding,

measuringandsharingthosewins

iswhatkeepsmomentumgoing.Technology

isadvancingrapidlyand

reshapingexpectationsLLMsarebecomingsmarter,moreresponsive,andincreasingly

tailoredtousersthroughmemory

and

feedback

loops.

The

nextwaveisdomain-specificLLMs–models

trained

on

industry,function,orevencompany-specific

data

–whichpromisemorerelevant,accurate,and

context-

awareoutputsthangeneral-purposemodels.AgenticAIisemergingasaforcethatwill

transformhowworkflowsareorchestrated,movingbeyondtaskautomation

towardsautonomousproblem-

solving.

Theseshiftsdemandthatorganisationsevolvetheirtechnologystrategies

–startingwithbasictooling,then

progressingtomoreadvanced,

targetedapplicationsthatdeliver

greaterbusinessvalue.KPMG’s

role:puttingpeople

atthecentretodelivervalueKPMGcutsthroughthe

AIhype

todelivermeasurableimpact.Wecombinebehaviouralscience

withworkforcedesigntoensure

technologyinvestmentstranslate

intorealperformancegains.Our

approachacceleratesadoption,

embedssustainability,andhard-wiresbusinessvalueintoeverystep.Byputtingpeopleatthecentre,wehelporganisations

unlockthefullpowerof

AI-

turning

efficiencyintoadvantageandambitionintoresults.xxatapoint

whereeveryonerealises

there'sbut

what

todo

with

thatopportunity

lineitup

witheverythingelse

that

you've

in

theorganisation...isanotherchallengeMumford-PeopleConsulting5AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.Now

we'rehugeopportunity,

andhow

togotgoing

onFrenekaFrom

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeopleLessonsfromthelastyearHow

KPMG

can

help345IndustryfocusAtaglanceStrategy

without

ownershipstalls

progressClarity

and

accountability

are

critical.To

unlock

AI’s

potential,

organisationsmustmovebeyondexperimentationandalign

ownershipof

AIstrategywiththerealitiesofday-to-daywork."The

business

declared

AI

a“top

priority”,

but

responsibility

sat

acrossmultiplefunctionswithnoclearowner.Strategypaperswerewritten,but

little

changed

on

the

ground."Don’tdothisDon’tassumeAIwillnaturallyweaveintoexistingstrategiesand

thatownershipwillemergeasadoptiongrows.Here’swhatyoushoulddoSuccessfulorganisations“flipintoaction”

bygetting

closeenoughtorealrolesandworkflowsto

make

informed,practicaldecisionsaboutwhereAIaddsvalue.

Thismeanscarvingoutresponsibilities,aligningAIprioritieswithbroaderbusinessobjectives,and–crucially-resetting

the

incentives

of

seniorleadershiptosupportcross-functionalcollaborationandgenuineownership.

Withoutdefinedaccountability,therightincentives,andaconnectiontohowworkactuallygetsdone,AIstrategieswillremain

stalled

and

fail

to

deliver

on

their

promise.Lessons

from

the

last

yearThepast12monthshavemarkedadecisiveshiftin

theintegrationof

AI

within

the

workforce.Theinitialsurgeofhypehassubsided,pilotshavebeen

tested,and

the

focushas

moved

todeliveringmeasurableimpact.

Acriticallessonhas

emerged:technologyalonedoesnotdeliver

transformation-

peopleandchanges

tobusinessdo.Theorganisationsrealisingthegreatestvaluearenotthosesimply

movingfastestorinvestingmostheavilyintothetechnology,but

thosethatrecognise

AIasahuman,organisation,andtechnology

shift.Differentformsof

AIdemanddistinctapproaches,requiring

organisationstomovebeyondtraditionalmodelsofworkstructuredbyfunctions,roles,andtasks.

Aclearerblueprint

isnowvisible-highlightingboththepracticesthatgenerate

sustainablevalueandthepitfallsthatlimitprogress.Weexaminedfiveofthemostsignificantlessonsfromthelast

year,as

well

as

sector-specific

insights

that

reveal

wheremomentumisbuilding,wherevalueisalreadybeingrealised,and

wherechallengesremain.6AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.From

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeople1Lessons

from

thelastyearHow

KPMG

can

helpIndustryfocusAt

a

glanceThe

workforce

won’t

transform

unlessthey

seethe

pay-offPeople

back

AI

when

it

clearly

helps

them:saves

time,cuts

hassle,improves

results,or

isrecognised

in

how

they’re

rewarded.If

it

feels

risky,thankless,or

like

extra

work,they’ll

sit

it

out.

AItrainingwasrolledoutacrossthebusiness,but

uptakewas

low.

Employees

questionedwhytheyshouldinvesttheirtime,doubtedwhetherskillswouldbevalued,andworriedAIwasmoreaboutreplacing

roles

than

enhancing

them."

Don’tdothisDon’t

assume

that

giving

people

access

to

training

will

drive

adoption.

If

learning

feels

like

an

extraburden

on

top

of

the

day

job,or

if

the

benefits

are

vague,

engagement

will

stall.

Talking

about“transformation”withoutshowingwhat’sinitforthemonlydeepensresistance.

Here’swhatyoushoulddoMakeitworththeirwhilebyshowingtangiblewins-timesaved,fewersteps,fewererrors-

andprotecttimeforpeopleto

learnandexperiment.

Rewardthebehaviour

by

recognisingearlyadopters

and

linking

AI-enabled

results

to

goals,feedback,and

progression.

Be

honest

about

whereroles

may

change,provide

real

reskilling

paths,and

back

it

with

support,

not

slogans.And

above

all,

buildtrustbybeingclearaboutdata

useand

safeguards

so

people

feel

safe

using

the

tools.Withoutaclearwaytotrackimpact,

AIspendbecomesasunk

costinsteadofa

growth

driver."We

launched

several

AI

pilots

across

the

business

but

didn’testablishconsistentmetricstomeasuretheirimpact.

Whenwe

wentbacktothe

Boardforadditionalfunding,wecouldn’tshowwhat

value

had

been

created."

Don’tdothisDon’tassumethatthebenefitsofAIwillspeakforthemselvesandnotmake

parallel

investments

in

proper

measurementframeworks.

Here’swhatyoushoulddoBuildmeasurementintoAIprogrammesfromday

one.Definesuccessmetricslinkedto

businessoutcomes,

not

justactivity.

Establishacentral“controltower”tooversee

andcoordinatemeasurementacrossallAIinitiatives,ensuringconsistenttracking,visibility,andaccountability.Demonstratingtangible

ROIbuildscredibility,unlocksfurtherinvestment,and

ensures

AI

is

seen

as

a

driver

of

value,

notjustcost.Organisationsarekeen

todolarge-scaletransformationsquicklynow.Theydon’t

wantto

keep

doing

little

phases

…they

need

to

get

tothat

valuequickly.Fiona

Burns-People

Consultingxx7AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.Counting

value

is

just

as

important

as

creating

itFrom

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeople2Lessons

from

thelastyearHow

KPMG

can

helpIndustryfocusAt

a

glance3Evolve

beyond

siloed

initiativesto

scalable

business

valueTreating

AI

as

a

list

of

pilots

doesn’t

scale.

Many

organisationsstartedwithahandfulofhighprofile

use

cases

and

hit

a

ceiling."WeprovedquickwinswithCopilotlicences,

but

re

using

thesame

starter

use

cases

to

judge

more

advanced

tools

(like

agents)

underestimatedwhattheycoulddo."Don’tdothisDon’t

run

AI

as

a

sequence

of

isolated

pilots

or

judge

advancedtools

against

yesterday’s

simple

tasks.Serial,top

down

use

casepickingcreatessilos,duplicateseffort,and

leaves

mostoftheworkforceonthesidelines-sobenefits

stay

small.Here’swhatyoushoulddoFlip

the

model.Give

broad

access

with

clear

safeguards,

simpleplaybooks,andprotectedtimeto

learn.

Encouragepeopletoapply

AI

to

the

tasks

they

do

every

day,share

what

works,andstandardisethewinners.

Usecommontoolingandlighttouchgovernancesoimprovementsspreadfast.

Wheneveryonecanparticipate

safely,efficiency

compounds,and

those20–30%

gainsbecome

achievable

at

scale.Providing

tools

alone

doesn’t

guarantee

AI

adoptionEvenwiththebesttech,

AIadoptionstallswithinseveralsupporting

initiativesbeing

in

place."A

largeinvestmentwasmadetorollout

afull

suite

of

GenAItools

acrossthe

business,but

uptake

has

been

low."Don’tdothisDon’tassumeAIadoptionwillhappenseamlesslyoncethetools

become

available.Here’swhatyoushoulddoAdoptiontakesmorethanjustprovidingthetoolandsaying

‘gobegreat!’

Humansarecreaturesofhabitandtherefore

need

to

be

coachedintochanging,evenwhenbusinessopportunities

are

so

great.Agreaterfocusonadoption,

learningandincentivisationwill

coachemployeesintoincludingAIintheir

flow

ofwork.Youdon’tscale

AIbystackingpilotsordroppingxx

toolsonpeople’sdesks.Realimpactcomes

when

everyonecanuse

AIconfidentlyin

theirday

today

work.NialeCleobury-PeopleConsulting8AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.From

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeople4Lessons

from

thelastyearHow

KPMG

can

helpIndustryfocusAt

a

glance5Industry

focusThelessonslearned

fromourcross-industryresearchcome

tolifemost

vividly

when

weexaminespecificsectors.Each

sector

is

at

a

different

stage

of

maturity

in

AI

adoption,shapedbyuniqueregulatory,cultural,andoperationalcontexts.

Yetacrossthem,thesamethemesemerge:theimportanceofleadership,thetensionbetweenambitionandexecution,andtheneedtobalancequickwinswithlong-termworkforce

transformation.

Thesesectorhighlightsshowwhatgoodlooks

likeinpractice,wherepitfallshaveemerged,andhowthepace

ofchangeisreshapingbusinessmodelsandtalentstrategies.

BankingBanking

is

one

of

AI’s

toughest

proving

grounds:therewards

are

vast,but

regulatory

scrutiny,

data

governance,

andcompliancecontrolsmakeprogress

harder

to

scale.Whiletheseguardrailsoftenstalladoption,theyarealsodrivingbankstofindsmarter,more

resilientwaystoembed

AI.

Theinstitutionsthatturnregulationfroma

blocker

into

acatalystwillnotonly

unlockefficiency,

butalso

set

newstandardsoftrustandprecisionforthesector.

InsuranceInsuranceisasectorwhereprediction,

risk

modelling,andtrust

underpineveryinteraction-making

it

uniquelysuited

to

AI.

Yet

adoption

has

been

cautious

as

firmsweighopportunityagainstregulatoryand

reputationalrisks.

The

real

prize

lies

not

just

in

automation,but

in

howAIcanreshapevalueitself:amplifying

human

expertise,

broadeningaccessto

knowledge,andhelpingtheindustrymanageanimpendingskills

gap

as

experiencedprofessionalsretire.

HealthcareHealthcareisAI’sboldestfrontier:thepotentialtotransform

care,boostproductivity,andcreate

moreequitablework

isimmense,yet

progress

remains

patchy.

From

cutting-edgeclinicaltoolstoreshapingback-office

rolesthatemploynearlyhalfthe

NHSworkforce,there’sanopportunityto

scalebeyondpilotsandredesignthe

system

so

that

both

patientsandstaff

benefit.Manufacturing,Consumer

and

RetailAIadoption

inmanufacturingand

retail

is

no

longertheoretical,andorganisationsare

underpressuretodelivertangible,monetisedresultsfast.Consumer

and

Retailmovesquickly,prioritisingmeasurable

productivityandcostsavings.

Whilstindustrialmanufacturing

proceedscautiously,constrained

by

scale

and

complexity.9AI

Workforce–

From

Hypeto

Hard

Truths?

2025

KPMG

LLP,

a

UK

limited

liability

partnership

and

a

member

firm

of

the

KPMG

global

organisation

of

independent

member

firms

affiliated

with

KPMG

International

Limited,

a

private

English

company

limited

by

guarantee.All

rights

reserved.From

hype

to

impact:evolving

yourAIstrategy

forsustainable

valueEvolvingsystemsdemand

evolvingpeopleLessonsfromthelastyearHow

KPMG

can

helpIndustry

focusAt

a

glance

BankingThebiggestleapin

termsof

AIadoption

formany

banksismoving

fromrecognisingopportunityto

takingdecisiveaction.It’srisky

topushforward

withoutaclearlineofsightacross

the

organisationandasenseofoverallpurpose.Rightnow,everyonesees

thehugepotentialof

AI,but

thequestionishow

tointegrateitalongsideongoingprogrammesandpressures.

InFinancialServices,costoptimisationandsimplificationareever-presentpriorities,shaping

how

AIcanbedeployed.Getting

thebalanceright

betweenefficiency,compliance,andinnovationis

critical

forrealising

AI’s

value.FrenMumfordPeopleConsultingKPMG

in

the

UKBanking

is

one

of

the

most

complex

arenasforAIadoption.

Thepotentialissubstantial-spanning

fraud

detection,risk

modelling,customer

service,and

regulatory

reporting-but

few

sectors

experience

a

sharpertensionbetweenopportunityandconstraint.Strict

compliance

regimes

and

evolvingregulatory

frameworks

can

slow

even

basicrollouts,with

some

banks

stalled

on

off-the-

shelf

tools

due

to

governance

hurdles

andcautionaroundrisk.Cultureaddsanotherlayeroffriction.

Manyinstitutions

claim

they

are“not

culturallyready”for

AI,and

often

use

this

as

a

blanket

explanationratherthanaddressingtherealbarriers

to

adoption,resulting

in

ambitiousstrategies,stalled

pilots,and

tools

that

never

enterdailyoperations.Thepaceofchange

is

unevenacrossregions.

Forexample,one

FinancialServicesclienthasAIalmostfullyliveinthe

US,whileintegrationinthe

UK

has

barelybegun.

Thisdivergenceriskscreatingatwo-tier

workforce-those

empowered

byAIandthoseleftbehind-

raisingethicaland

operational

questions

about

fairnessand

consistency.A

new

dynamic

is

emerging

in

the

USfollowing

the

passing

of

the

Genius

Act,which

opens

the

door

for

stablecoins

andAI

to

create

fresh

opportunities

in

thefinancial

sector.Key

points?

AIpotentialspans

frauddetection,risk

modelling,customerservice,andregulatory

reporting?Heavy

compliance,datagovernance,and

evolvingregulatoryenvironmentsremain

thebiggest

barriers.

Culturalresistanceslowsprogress,with

manybanks

hidingbehind

“not

ready”narratives?Uneven

global

adoption

riskscreatingatwo-tierworkforce.?

The

Genius

Act

in

the

US

createsnewopportunitiesforAIandstablecoins,positioningthe

US

foracceleratedgrowth.?

Shiftin

mindset:some

banks

now

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