Companies are doubling down on AI - despite market warnings

• Four in five plan to increase investment in AI despite ongoing challenges
• Skills shortages and outdated learning systems are hindering growth
• AI is also being layered on top of jobs, instead of defining them, reducing its benefits

UK businesses are still obsessed with artificial intelligence, investing in it without tackling the underlying challenges, new Accenture research has found.

More than four in five (83%) of respondents said they plan to increase investment in AI tools, seeing it as an important part of future-proofing rather than a workforce replacement tool.

In fact, 71% of the leaders surveyed expect to increase hiring in response to impending changes, suggesting AI plays a bigger role in driving company growth than it does on reducing the workforce.

These are the challenges associated with AI adoption

Even though companies continue to invest in artificial intelligence, Accenture found they're struggling to overcome some key deployment barriers, and they're the same ones that we hear about time and time again.

Around a quarter (27%) cite skills shortages and outdated learning systems as barriers, and only 43% so far say they plan to upskill employees this year. Employees are also far less likely to believe they have the right foundational training to use AI compared with bosses.

But it's not just skills readiness that's under fire – the entire deployment process itself is seeing adopters split off into two groups: those that fully embrace it and those who invest blindly without a carefully considered plan. Only 9% of businesses are redesigning roles or responsibilities, indicating that AI is just being layered on top of existing jobs rather than being used to its full, transformational potential.

"The organisations that lead in 2026 will be those that pair technology investment with clarity on skills, roles and opportunity, and treat workforce transformation as a strategic priority, not an afterthought," UK&I CEO Matt Prebble summarized.

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