Why 71% of Companies Say Their Workforce Isn’t Ready for AI

According to Kyndryl’s new 2025 People Readiness Report, 95% of companies are investing in AI, but 71% say their workforce isn’t ready to leverage it. Even more telling: only 14% of companies are considered true “pacesetters” in AI adoption.

I read the report, which echoed other reports across other major studies. The disparity is clear.

Most organizations are still treating AI as an IT initiative instead of a full-scale organizational transformation initiative.

Why AI Adoption Falls Flat

If AI is handled like a typical tech upgrade -- procure a tool, launch a few pilots, issue some training -- adoption will lag, and ROI will underwhelm. Executives will be left scratching their heads wondering why the dashboards show usage, but the business impact is MIA.

At Caspius, LLC, we view successful AI adoption as the convergence of three high-impact organizational shifts:

1. Technology implementation

2. Business process redesign

3. Culture and mindset shifts

   
   

AI adoption should be considered as the convergence of three high-impact organizational shifts: technology Implementation, business process transformation, cultural change.

In addition to the above transformations, companies may also experience possible organizational role changes, and often, reorgs down the line.

Each of these is a major undertaking on its own. When they happen simultaneously, as they do with AI, it requires a structured strategy to integrate and lead it holistically.

And of course, successful AI adoption also requires:

• Strategic alignment between AI initiatives and business outcomes

• Executive sponsorship that goes beyond approval to active engagement

• Targeted enablement and training that meets people where they are

• Change management that addresses fear, skepticism, and confusion head-on

Companies that treat AI as a one-dimensional rollout risk falling further behind, while those that treat it as enterprise transformation will unlock its full potential.

The takeaway for business leaders

Stop treating AI as an IT project, and start treating it as a major organizational transformation initiative with all the ripple effects that come with it. If you want your workforce to embrace AI and help transform the way your business operates, you need a more comprehensive rollout.

One that’s people-centered.One that’s strategic.And one that reflects the real scale of what’s changing, and how to manage it.

At Caspius, we’ve built a model for exactly that.

Let’s talk.