Photo Jacqueline Wild © Kyndryl

AI-related spending has surged, rising by an average of 33% year on year. Yet companies are still stuck: they place high hopes on artificial intelligence, but their initiatives often go no further than the pilot phase. The Kyndryl Readiness Report 2025 examines this major gap on the basis of 3,700 executives surveyed across 21 countries and shows that the mismatch between ambition and reality is not narrowing – it is becoming a strategic risk. This issue is just as relevant for companies around the world as it is for those in Switzerland: to succeed in today’s digital environment, businesses must not only bring AI into production faster, but do so amid rising requirements for governance, data protection and cyber resilience.

“The gap between perception and reality is considerable: while 90% of organisations are convinced they have the right tools, more than half are held back by their own technology infrastructure. In addition, there is a shortage of skilled employees with the necessary AI expertise. The good news is that this gap can be closed – provided companies treat infrastructure modernisation and skills transformation as a shared priority,” says Jacqueline Wild, Vice President and Managing Director of Kyndryl in Switzerland and Austria.

The first Kyndryl Readiness Report 2024 had already highlighted a critical gap between perception and actual readiness: while 90% of business leaders considered their IT infrastructure to be “best in class,” only 39% judged it ready for the future. Despite progress, this divergence persists. The 2025 findings make that clear:

• Rising returns, but AI remains in the experimental phase: 54% of companies report positive returns on their AI investments – up 12% from 2024. However, three in five executives say they are under more pressure than a year ago to deliver measurable results. Even so, 62% have not yet moved their AI projects beyond the pilot phase.
• Confidence continues to outpace actual capabilities: 90% say their tools and processes allow them to test and deploy new ideas quickly. However, more than half believe their core technology infrastructure is holding back innovation.
• AI is accelerating workplace transformation, but skills gaps remain: 87% expect AI to “completely” transform jobs within their company within 12 months. Yet many say employees have so far used AI only rarely and that only a few possess the necessary technical skills.

AI spending rises in step with return-on-investment expectations – with cyber resilience in the spotlight

Executives across sectors and countries say their companies’ AI spending has increased by an average of 33% over the past year. Sixty-eight percent say they are investing “heavily” in at least one form of AI. As investment increases, expectations for value creation and security rise as well. This is especially evident in cybersecurity, which is currently the most common area of AI application.

Talent and corporate culture: the next readiness challenge

When it comes to scaling innovation, workforce readiness turns out to be both a major obstacle and a key opportunity. Beyond technological challenges, organisational maturity is becoming a decisive factor in the rollout of innovation. Only 29% believe their employees are sufficiently prepared to use AI effectively in daily work. Many companies are also facing cultural barriers. Nearly half of CEOs say their organisation slows innovation (48%) and makes decisions too late (45%). The pioneers – referred to as “Pacesetters” in the report – are not only investing in innovation, but are also focusing deliberately on corporate culture, continuous training and leadership coordination.

Compared with companies lagging behind in these areas, Pacesetters:

• are 32% less likely to view their technology infrastructure as an obstacle;
• are 30% more likely to say their cloud can adapt to new regulations;
• were affected by 20% fewer cyber incidents over the past year.

You can find the full report at this link  Kyndryl Readiness Report.

About Kyndryl 

Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) is a leading provider of mission-critical technology services for enterprises, offering consulting, implementation and managed services to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. As one of the world’s largest providers of IT infrastructure services, Kyndryl designs, builds, operates and modernises the complex information systems on which the world depends every day. For more information, visit www.kyndryl.com.

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