Photo Jacqueline Wild © Kyndryl

AI-related spending has risen sharply, with an average increase of 33% year on year. Yet companies are still treading water: they place great hopes on artificial intelligence, but their initiatives often go no further than the pilot stage. The Kyndryl Readiness Report 2025 examines this significant gap on the basis of 3,700 executives surveyed in 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 worldwide as it is for those in Switzerland: to succeed in today’s digital environment, they must not only bring AI into production faster, but do so amid rising demands on governance, data protection and cyber resilience.

“The gap between perception and reality is considerable: while 90% of organisations believe they have the right tools, more than half are held back by their own technology infrastructure. In addition, there is a shortage of skilled staff with the necessary AI expertise. The good news: this gap can be closed – provided companies treat infrastructure modernisation and skills transformation as a shared priority,” says Jacqueline Wild, Vice President and General Manager 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 “best in class”, only 39% deemed it fit for the future. Despite progress made, this divergence persists. The 2025 results make that clear:

• Rising returns, but AI remains in experimental mode: 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 outstrip real capabilities: 90% say their tools and processes allow them to test and deploy new ideas quickly. However, more than half consider their core technology infrastructure a brake on innovation.
• AI is accelerating the transformation of the world of work, 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 alongside ROI expectations – cyber resilience at the heart of concerns

Executives across sectors and countries say their company’s AI spending has increased by an average of 33% year on year. 68% say they are investing “heavily” in at least one form of AI. As investment rises, expectations around value creation and security rise as well. This is particularly visible 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 proves 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 workforce is sufficiently prepared to use AI effectively on a daily basis. 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 specifically on corporate culture, continuous training and leadership alignment.

Compared with companies lagging behind in these areas, the “Pacesetters”:

• are 32% less likely to see their technology infrastructure as an obstacle;
• are 30% more likely to say their cloud can adapt to new regulations;
• were 20% less affected by 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 management services to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. As one of the world’s largest providers of IT infrastructure services, Kyndryl designs, implements, runs and modernises the complex information systems on which the world depends every day. For more information, visit www.kyndryl.com.

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