A McKinsey survey has found that employees are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) faster than the organisations they work for, even as AI becomes a top technology spending priority for many companies. The survey indicates that while leaders are introducing AI tools and automating manual processes, the outcomes have so far fallen short of expectations.
Survey highlights gap between employee readiness and organisational preparedness
According to the McKinsey survey, 70 per cent of respondents feel personally prepared to adopt and use AI. However, only 27 per cent of leaders believe their organisations are ready for the structural and cultural changes required for an agentic AI future. The report states, "Results are still falling short of leaders' ambitions."
AI adoption at early stage for most organisations
Organisations are at different stages of AI transformation, with many yet to convert individual AI-driven productivity gains into enterprise-wide impact. The report notes, "Given how rapidly AI capabilities are evolving, it is not surprising that organisations are still learning how to translate individual productivity gains into enterprise-level impact." The survey found that employees are increasingly using AI for tasks such as drafting emails, summarising meetings, analysing data, creating presentations, and preparing for client or leadership interactions. However, these individual productivity gains have not yet translated into organisation-wide transformation, with many companies continuing to operate largely as before.
Enterprise value requires fundamental change
The report emphasizes that AI adoption alone does not create lasting enterprise value. While AI improves individual productivity, organisations need to fundamentally change the way they operate to achieve sustained competitive advantage. The survey found that 84 per cent of leaders in the enablement stage and 68 per cent in the automation stage said they were unprepared for the people and cultural changes required for an agentic AI future. The report concludes, "The challenge is not AI adoption by employees, but how leaders can drive organisational changes to capture value."
