AI Adoption in Business: What the Latest Research Says

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The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the enterprise is proving to be a complex and challenging process. Despite the promises of digital transformation and automation, several studies highlight a significant gap between ambition and execution . Companies such as Qlik , WalkMe , Cisco , Workday and Microsoft have analyzed the difficulties and progress in integrating AI into business processes, offering a detailed overview of strategies, obstacles and results.

Gap between ambition and execution
According to an IDC study sponsored by Qlik, only 12% of telegram data organizations feel ready for Agentic AI workflows, despite 80% investing in the technology. The main barriers identified were poor infrastructure readiness and a lack of data governance. “Generative AI has generated a lot of excitement among organizations, but our findings reveal a significant gap between willingness and actual readiness,” says Stewart Bond , Research VP for Data Integration and Intelligence at IDC.

AI adoption is often slowed by issues of scalability and integrating analytics into business processes. According to James Fisher , Chief Strategy Officer at Qlik, “Companies that fail to build systems to deliver reliable, actionable insights will soon be left behind . ” Full report

The Importance of Employee Preparation
Another barrier to AI adoption is workforce readiness. WalkMe’s 2025 State of Digital Adoption Report: Special AI Edition finds that only 28% of employees feel adequately trained to use AI effectively, despite 79% of managers being confident in digital transformation. Digital inefficiencies led to $104 million in losses in 2024, proving that investing in technology without a proper adoption strategy creates waste. “Success in the AI ​​era will not be achieved through technology alone, but through excellent systemic adoption ,” says Dan Adika , CEO of WalkMe. Full report