Despite £180 million invested in UK AI research and innovation hubs, the gap in supply and demand for AI talent is widening at an alarming rate.
According to a Nash Squared Survey, over half of UK tech leaders now face a severe AI skills shortage, a 114% increase since their last survey in 2024.
SVP Solution Consulting International at Infor.
In this competitive landscape businesses can’t afford to miss out on any advantage or even worse waste money on something that isn’t being used to its full potential.
By focusing on getting the most value from their AI initiatives and equipping employees with the right skills to adapt and grow, organizations can future-proof their workforce and close critical skills gaps.
Here are four ways businesses can truly see the return of investment from AI at every level. These approaches focus on equipping employees with the right capabilities to work effectively alongside AI, whilst also ensuring businesses see meaningful return on their AI investments.
Look beyond the AI hype
Whilst AI is no longer novel, it continues to be a buzzword that captivates businesses across almost every industry. But true value is often missed, as many businesses rush to adopt AI without clear ROI. Real transformation comes from identifying where AI can deliver the greatest impact.
A good place to start is by taking a holistic look at the business and identify what functions are burdened by low-value repetitive tasks, costly operations, or slow decision-making.
While many organizations are still early on in their adoption journey, it can be daunting to expect an end-to-end strategy for implementation from the onset.
To make the most of AI, organizations should follow a practical approach: identify pain points, determine if AI can help solve them, test solutions on a small scale, and then expand successful pilots.
This careful assessment and gradual adoption ensure that AI initiatives deliver real and lasting improvements rather than just minor efficiency gains.
Don’t just adopt AI, adapt it
Adopting AI does not guarantee success overnight. But companies that start with a clear roadmap are far more likely to see meaningful results.
The key is to align AI initiatives directly with core business priorities over the next three to five years – whether that’s reducing operational cost, improving customer experience or accelerating product development.
For example, manufacturers using machinery with intelligent algorithms can anticipate disruptions before they even happen, streamlining their operations, and tactically optimizing their processes overall.
Similarly, in the food and beverage sector, businesses across the supply chain are using AI to forecast which goods to scale up, replace, or redefine, based on massive amounts of previous trend data.
This long-term approach emphasises sustainable and meaningful results rather than quick fixes, helping businesses create AI systems that truly advance strategic goals. It also requires commitment and continuous learning, such as training teams or refining models in response to changes in data and market conditions.
Without a clear plan linking AI efforts to business priorities, companies risk facing higher costs, slower delivery times, and reduced customer responsiveness. By contrast, those who integrate AI with a focused, phased strategy will build a strong foundation to lead their industry in the years ahead.
People power the real AI ROI
AI technology is only as good as the people managing it. While automation often sparks fears of replacement, in reality, people remain critical to operating, analyzing, and interpreting data from AI to make critical judgements.
The real ROI comes from equipping people to use AI confidently and strategically. That means building skills in areas like machine learning, predictive analytics, and data literacy and ensure teams know how these tools apply to their roles.
Forward-thinking companies leveraging AI-driven decision-making tools are already seeing improvements in efficiency and workforce agility, with the most productive investing 26% more in workforce development.
Practical steps include forming alliances with nearby educational institutions, creating internal academies to train current employees, or transferring employees between departments to gain a deeper understanding of systems.
In manufacturing, national initiatives like Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) and Make UK’s National Manufacturing Skills Taskforce are assisting in coordinating technical requirements with future hiring pipelines.
AI is set to become part of every business, but success depends on how well businesses prepare their people for the change. Companies that train and support their workforce will see faster adoption, stronger ROI, and long-term competitiveness.
Industry specific AI that delivers real ROI
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Just as people strategies must be tailored, so must AI applications. Each industry faces unique challenges and generic solutions will rarely unlock full value.
In retail and fashion, AI can speed up design approvals and help businesses adapt products to shifting customer trends. In the food and beverage sector, it is already being used to automate label translation and forecast consumer demand.
Despite economic uncertainty causing some to pause, the most forward-thinking businesses are strategically deploying AI with intention, thinking long term, ensuring their employees are on board and skilled, and focusing on high-impact areas like supply chain optimization and predictive forecasting to deliver greater efficiency, agility, and a more strategically optimized focus.
These organizations are setting the pace. Their ability to harness AI effectively is becoming a competitive advantage and essentially a defining factor. Businesses that understand that investing in both talent and technology will be poised to lead the next era of business transformation, setting precedent for long-term success.
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