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On Thu, 3 Oct, 4:03 PM UTC
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How business leaders can upskill their workforce for the age of AI
While many organizations are still trying to figure out how to get the best out of AI, ServiceNow's customers are already putting AI to work and seeing incredible results, all in the space of a few weeks or months. We're in a moment in time where businesses are struggling with significant complexity. The Now Platform was built to simplify the way people work with technology, as organizations look to create better employee and customer experiences. Harnessing the power of AI offers a solution to many of the challenges organizations are currently facing, unlocking productivity, reducing costs and providing enhanced experiences. It's always a real pleasure to get back to the UK - and this is definitively an exciting moment in time, where we are seeing a rapid adoption of our AI platform across a variety of industries, from telecom, media, and technology to financial services, the public sector, and more. At today's World Forum, I'll have the pleasure to be joined by industry leaders from Aston Martin Aramco Formula One, Asda, Vodafone and more, to share how organizations of all sizes can harness the power of AI to achieve business transformation and get ahead of the game. What I've been hearing in the conversations I have with customers, is that AI adoption in the UK is accelerating- businesses are definitively past the hype stage of AI and have moved into that stage where they are seeing positive business outcomes from their AI investment. As a matter of fact, recent global research from ServiceNow, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, has found while in the UK, AI-powered business transformation is in its early days, British businesses are among Europe's leaders when it comes to AI optimism and maturity. Most UK organizations are still in the early stages of this journey. However, there is a clear sense of urgency when it comes to investing in AI, with 85% of organizations in UK saying that they plan to increase their investments in the coming year, according to ServiceNow's Enterprise AI Maturity Index. The research, which includes responses from 297 executives in various industries across the UK, found a strong appetite to accelerate the business benefits of AI. Respondents are particularly hopeful that AI can deliver increased efficiency and productivity (86%) along with improved customer experience (85%) and revenue growth (79%). For businesses that have yet to engage with AI, there is still time to implement an effective strategy. In fact, across UK, most organizations are still at the 'experimenting' stage of AI, the research found. Many are yet to embark on the journey of finding the right mix of skills and talent to power their AI approach, and the reality is that lack of AI skills and talents remains a challenge. Throughout UK, less than a third of organizations (27%) strongly agree that they currently have the right mixture of talent and skills to drive their AI strategy. More than half (57%) are still working out what skills are needed. At this relatively early stage, 38% believe they have made significant progress towards creating specialist teams for important AI issues such as policy drafting and responsible AI usage. But with each passing month, the urgency of finding the right AI skills and talent grows. Without the right human talent to guide AI deployments, attempts to integrate AI into work processes are all too likely to be a wasted effort. It's key for company leadership to act now to build an AI-literate workforce. To do so requires a dual strategy, including external specialist hires to make an AI project a success, and internal training to ensure that business users are equipped with the skills needed to effectively integrate AI into operations. Building AI skills is dependent on having a strong culture of innovation within the company - something that tends to flourish when employees feel free to experiment. In ServiceNow's research, 58% of organizations in UK said that they were enabling autonomous problem solving in teams to build trust. In terms of hiring, AI configurators are the most in-demand, with 54% of organizations planning to hire for such job roles, followed closely by experience developers (43%), data scientists (48%) and machine learning operators (40%). With a high demand for certain roles, and not enough trained people to fulfil the positions, there is a significant opportunity for internal upskilling. Across UK, businesses are focusing on upskilling or reskilling initiatives to develop the necessary abilities to stay up to date and successfully adopt AI. In fact, 42% of businesses plan to upskill employees significantly to create a new cohort of AI configurators, while 34% are doing this for experience developers and 36% are focussing on data scientists. For organizations looking to reap the benefits of AI, prioritizing - and investing in - skills development is essential to integrating AI smoothly into an organization. A two-pronged approach will deliver results: external hiring combined with an integrated, measurable approach to upskilling existing employees, including measures such as training courses to help build the right culture around AI. Proactively engaging with this skills challenge will foster a workforce capable of integrating AI and experiencing its rewards, as well as a workforce prepared to navigate future challenges and drive innovation and growth. As UK becomes a more mature region in terms of AI adoption, those that were at the vanguard will shape the business landscape. Those that hesitate for too long risk quickly getting left behind.
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UK businesses want to spend more on AI, as lack of skills remains an issue
New research from ServiceNow has revealed that a large majority (85%) of UK businesses plan to spend more on artificial intelligence despite initial concerns about how ready their business is. Based on responses from more than 2,000 executives from the EMEA region, the company's Enterprise AI Maturity Index found that 86% of British companies are optimistic about AI's positive impact on efficiency and productivity - substantially more than the EMEA average of 76%. That being said, the report also reveals that many companies are finding themselves stuck in the early stages of adoption where they continue to battle with concerns about the technology. Around one in five (18%) UK companies were deemed 'pacesetters' in AI adoption, meaning that they had scored more than 50 out of 100 on an AI maturity test based on factors like strategy, leadership and integration. This puts the UK behind only the Middle East and Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and aligns with the country's ambition to become a global AI hub and leader. The reason that companies are excited to progress their AI strategies becomes apparent - four in five (79%) believe that the technology will help them grow their revenue. AI is also particularly attractive to customer-facing businesses, with even more respondents (85%) anticipating that it could improve their customer experiences. However, because many nations are still in the early stages of adopting AI, key challenges continue to influence leaders' decisions. More than half (57%) of UK businesses are still determining which AI skills they need, and 37% believe they don't currently have the right talent mix. One-third (34%) of executives also expressed concerns about potential errors and inaccuracies in AI-generated content. ServiceNow Group VP and GM for the UK & Ireland, Damian Stirrett, commented: "The race to put AI to work is still in its early stages. Yet, it's clear that some organisations have already gained a head start in adopting and integrating it." Looking ahead, ServiceNow says that companies can prepare for AI deployment by hiring new talent and upskilling existing workforces.
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UK companies are leading in AI adoption in Europe, with 85% planning to increase investments. However, they face challenges in finding the right talent mix and skills for effective AI implementation.
Recent research conducted by ServiceNow, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, reveals that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of AI adoption and optimism in Europe. The Enterprise AI Maturity Index, which surveyed 297 executives across various industries in the UK, found that 85% of UK organizations plan to increase their AI investments in the coming year 12.
UK businesses are moving past the hype stage of AI and are now seeing tangible results from their investments. The research indicates high expectations for AI's impact on business operations:
These figures demonstrate a strong appetite for accelerating the business benefits of AI among UK organizations.
While the UK is leading in Europe, most organizations are still in the early stages of AI adoption:
Despite the optimism and investment plans, UK businesses face significant challenges in finding the right talent and skills for effective AI implementation:
To overcome the skills shortage, UK businesses are focusing on a dual strategy:
External hiring:
Internal upskilling:
To successfully integrate AI into their operations, UK organizations are working on creating a culture of innovation:
While optimism is high, some concerns remain:
As the UK positions itself to become a global AI hub and leader, businesses that proactively address these challenges and invest in AI adoption are likely to shape the future business landscape, while those who hesitate risk falling behind.
Reference
As AI rapidly transforms the workplace, a significant skills gap emerges as the primary obstacle to its adoption. This story explores the challenges and strategies for upskilling the workforce in the AI era.
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Microsoft's UK CEO highlights the potential of AI for economic growth, but warns of a widening gap between companies with and without AI strategies. The tech giant's survey reveals mixed adoption rates and concerns about productivity disparities.
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Despite the AI hype, a recent study shows that UK businesses are more focused on hiring for fundamental IT skills. The report challenges the perception of AI's immediate impact on the job market.
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A recent survey reveals that only 13% of organizations feel fully prepared to leverage AI's potential, despite growing pressure to adopt the technology. Companies face challenges in infrastructure, skills, and measuring AI's impact.
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Recent research challenges the notion that AI will replace human workers, suggesting instead that it could catalyze a skills revolution and enhance human capabilities in the workplace.
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