Data Digest is exactly as the name suggests: a collection of sources, from reports, academic papers to X chatter and Reddit memes that describe the pressing issues in the world of work. Serein’s researchers rely on these resources to build our stand-out interventions, whether in AI use, leading multigenerational teams or compliance. For the first time, we are making them publicly available.
This week: AI transforms, but are companies equipped to handle the change?
AI adoption is exploding across workplaces globally. 91% of employees in a recent study said that they use gen AI for work. Most of them, whether light users or heavy users, said that AI impacts their work positively and enhances their abilities, from creativity or critical thinking.
Source: McKinsey and Company, Gen AI’s next inflection point
Are companies becoming tortoises?
Even as employees report high levels of AI use, companies do not seem to be keeping up. In fact, they seem to be lagging behind by miles. McKinsey’s research shows that only 13% of employees surveyed have confirmed that their companies have built organisational maturity in AI use. Most companies that have yet to build capacity for productive and responsible use of AI, have a higher percentage of employees who heavily use gen AI tools.
Source: McKinsey and Company, Gen AI’s next inflection point
This does not mean that companies are not investing in gen AI. Corporate investment in AI ballooned to $252.3 billion in 2024. As per 2025 reports, the US leads the pack in this trend, followed by China and the UK.
The problem arises when these investments are not used efficiently by putting in the necessary systems, policies and programs by companies. MIT’s research found that a staggering 95% of generative AI pilots are failing in companies. What this means is that, while companies may be buying AI tools at large, they are not investing in integrating these tools into their daily operations and workflows. This could be in terms of upskilling their workforce in AI use, standarding AI ethics codes, monitoring data privacy and so on.
The Financial Times has made a full tell-all video about the difficult situation that companies find themselves in:
As a result, the claimed productivity gains are just not there. CEOs are constantly sharing beaming outlooks about AI transformative power for business growth. But in their SEC fillings, they do not lay down any concrete details of their AI strategy. Now combine this with the fact that the growth numbers are not aligning for companies that are using AI on a daily basis. We are probably looking at some of the biggest organisations of the world operating without a proper AI strategy!
Source: The Economist, Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening
Do the risks outweigh the benefits?
A lot of research has been done on the AI productivity paradox, which suggests that in the short-term workforce productivity declines with AI adoption but rebounds eventually.
But the problems that companies are staring at without a solid AI strategy go beyond productivity loss. In SEC filings companies are predominantly reporting risks of AI use rather than its benefits, in terms of cybersecurity, legal breaches and so on.
Source: Financial Times, America’s top companies keep talking about AI — but can’t explain the upsides
These risks are now out of filing documents and have begun affecting real lives of people and reputations of companies. Reports of incidents of AI misfiring resulting in ethical, legal and operational lapses have shot up. Between 2023 and 2024 the increase was as high as 56.4%.
Source: Stanford University, Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2025
Without strong responsible AI (RAI) frameworks which is one of the mainstays of a holistic AI strategy, companies are struggling to mitigate these risks.
Source: Stanford University, Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2025
Headlines capture the cost that people and companies are having to pay as result:
Blind AI deployment just to jump on a trend train is not the way to get ahead of competition. The pain of shooting in the dark with AI is to shoot into one’s own foot.
At Serein, we help organisations globally develop robust AI strategies, train their workforce in AI adoption and ethics and launch troubleshooting systems that identify and mitigate risks before they escalate. Reach out to us for a free demo at hello@serein.in.