New research from Insight Enterprises highlights a growing trust in autonomous AI, as 57% of organisations report being ‘very confident’ in the technology’s reliability within core business processes. Despite this trust, implementation is slow, with six in ten organisations stuck in pilot or experimental phases. The majority employs AI in low-risk, narrow areas, with only 24% using it in production for defined use cases.
The UK demonstrates stronger AI maturity compared to its European counterparts, with 9% of organisations fully embedding AI into operations, topping the region, and ranking second in scaled deployments. Yet, the level of integration remains low, as 70% of UK businesses are yet to advance beyond small-scale pilots.
The Insight’s EMEA AI Maturity Report suggests trust is not the issue, with just 1% of IT decision-makers doubting the technology. Instead, the delay in AI adoption stems from operational and organisational challenges:
- Technology integration issues (36%)
- Skills gaps for AI system management (23%)
- Cultural resistance (17%)
- Governance and compliance framework gaps (14%)
These challenges mean AI maturity remains limited, with most markets stuck in early or scaling phases. Only 5% of European organisations have AI fully embedded, while a further 15% have scaled AI production. This reveals a stark contrast between confidence and actual deployment.
Over half of the organisations (52%) prefer cloud-based AI, with 16% strongly supporting it. Nonetheless, 44% still opt for on-premises solutions due to concerns about control, compliance, and performance. Balancing cloud and on-premises workloads requires maturity that many enterprises have yet to achieve.
The survey captures the excitement surrounding AI's transformational potential but also notes the challenges in successful implementation. Limited results arise from a technology-led approach which merely places tools into teams without strategic integration.
As the leading AI Solutions Integrator, Insight suggests starting with business understanding, in collaboration with AI Forward Deployed Engineers. Such teams can develop rapid working prototypes within days, prioritising use cases and outlining a complete implementation plan with a business case for ROI. Businesses need partners offering strategic guidance on integration and accountability frameworks, beyond mere technical expertise.
