PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
More than four in five UK organisations are unable to demonstrate clear returns from at least some of their artificial intelligence investments, according to new research from managed service provider Air IT Group.
The study, based on responses from 504 decision makers across UK organisations, found that 83% either reported that some AI spending had delivered no measurable return or admitted they do not measure returns at all.
Air IT Group describes the issue as an “AI Decision Gap”, highlighting a disconnect between investment in AI technologies and the ability to assess whether those tools are delivering meaningful business value.
According to the findings, 41% of organisations have purchased or introduced an AI tool before agreeing what business problem it was intended to solve. Among respondents with at least one active AI initiative, 74% said not all projects had both a defined business objective and a clear measure of success.
The research suggests that growing pressure on organisations to adopt AI may be leading some businesses to invest before establishing clear goals or identifying the areas where the technology could deliver the greatest benefit. This comes as policymakers continue to emphasise AI’s potential to drive productivity improvements across the UK economy.
The study also points to challenges in moving AI projects from pilot stage into wider deployment. Among organisations that formally track AI pilots, 62% said they had abandoned at least one project during the previous 12 months. Integration difficulties were cited by 34% of respondents as the most common reason for abandoning initiatives, while 29% pointed to a lack of employee adoption.
Questions over productivity gains also emerged from the research. Nearly half of respondents (47%) said AI had made a task or process take longer once checking, corrections, setup and management time were taken into account. Meanwhile, only 13% reported that time saved through AI was consistently converted into measurable increases in output or productivity.
Commenting on the findings, Lee Johnson, chief technology officer at Air IT Group, said: “AI has huge potential for businesses, but simply introducing more tools doesn’t guarantee better outcomes.
“Our research found that 41% of organisations had introduced an AI tool before agreeing what problem it should solve. If the problem and the outcome aren’t clear from the outset, it becomes much harder to know whether AI is actually delivering value.
“Businesses need to start with what they’re trying to achieve, identify where AI can make the biggest difference and agree how success will be measured. That gives leaders the evidence to decide what to scale, what to rethink and where to invest next.”
To address what it describes as the AI Decision Gap, Air IT Group launched its AI Accelerator programme in September 2026. The initiative is designed to help SMEs identify potential use cases for AI, assess organisational readiness and create a prioritised roadmap for future investment.
The company’s full report, The AI Decision Gap, explores the findings in more detail.