Skip to main content Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming Tech Radar Pro TechRadar the business technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Expert Insights Website builders Web hosting Amazon Prime Day deals Best web hosting Best office chairs Best website builder Best antivirus Expert Insights Recommended reading British businesses are getting used to AI at work - but there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome Is AI the new cloud? Survey reveals companies scrambling to adopt AI - but few really know what impact it will have Making AI useful at every level of the business Global bean counters are struggling to find value for money in anything AI and that is a big, big problem Bridging the AI adoption gap: turning experiments into enterprise value Over half of UK businesses who replaced workers with AI regret their decision Half of social media marketers can't imagine doing their jobs without AI - yet most admit wasting money on it AI still isn't living up to its full potential for many business Craig Hale 8 July 2025 Many businesses just aren't getting tangible AI results, report finds When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Shutterstock / NicoElNino) HR and finance aren't seeing great results from AI, report finds Only 11% are seeing tangible gains from most of their AI initiatives A unified data strategy with improved integration and analytics is needed New research has claimed AI investment in UK businesses still isn't translating into consistent or measurable returns, suggesting many firms are yet to evolve from their experimentation to implementation phases as they struggle to work out effective use cases. This comes as many sectors still struggle to see any real results from AI tools, with 37% of HR and 30% of finance businesses surveyed by Qlik stating they see the least tangible benefits. This is compared with the four in five (81%) IT and cybersecurity departments which have seen improvements. You may like British businesses are getting used to AI at work - but there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome Is AI the new cloud? Survey reveals companies scrambling to adopt AI - but few really know what impact it will have Making AI useful at every level of the business AI investments don't directly translate into results Qlik also found most companies are still stuck in pilot phases, lacking the tools and skills to scale AI impact. Only one in 10 (11%) companies report that most (75%+) of their AI initiatives have delivered tangible gains, with around one-quarter (23%) acknowledging that the majority of their AI use case are still in the experimental phase. Nearly half (44%) also admitted that there's a disconnect between perceived and actual productivity gains from AI, with a similar number (51%) evaluating AI using KPIs tied directly to business performance, instead of evolving their metrics to the shifting tech landscape. "This gap between hype and reality is a wake-up call. Businesses need to focus on measurement, alignment, and building the data infrastructure that enables AI to deliver at scale," Qlik Chief Strategy Officer er James Fisher explained. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. A lack of internal skills is affecting nearly one in two (49%) businesses, with technical issues like incompatible tools and platforms (36%) and a lack of real-time data integration (37%) also proving troubling. Evidently, architecture and data foundation are still holding many firms back, while budget is becoming less of an issue. Looking ahead, 89% agree a unified data strategy is essential for assessing ROI. Many also agreed that improved data integration and analytics (57%), greater visibility into how AI models make decisions (55%), strong collaboration across departments (49%) and outcome-focused KPIs (46%) are impotent to deliver real AI impact. "That means scalable tools, integrated strategies and collaboration across every function," Fisher concluded. You might also like These are the best AI writers around today We've rounded up the best productivity apps on offer for your business AI usage for workers is skyrocketing – and its actually doing everything it promised With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value! You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. British businesses are getting used to AI at work - but there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome Is AI the new cloud? Survey reveals companies scrambling to adopt AI - but few really know what impact it will have Making AI useful at every level of the business Global bean counters are struggling to find value for money in anything AI and that is a big, big problem Bridging the AI adoption gap: turning experiments into enterprise value Over half of UK businesses who replaced workers with AI regret their decision Latest in Pro Your employee logins are more valuable to criminals than ever - here's how to keep them protected Inside the billion-dollar identity fraud ecosystem CitrixBleed 2 exploits are now in the wild, so patch now Many companies are still failing to budget for cybersecurity How can we create a sustainable AI future? 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