NashSquared/HarveyNash

DigitalLeadershipReport

AMEETINGOFMINDS?

2

Ameetingofminds?

BevWhite

CEO

NashSquared

Itwon’tsurpriseyouthatthisyear’sNashSquared/HarveyNash

DigitalLeadershipReport(DLR)focusesheavilyonartificialintelligence(AI).We’vebeentrackingAIadoptionsince2009.Likeotherpivotal

technologyshiftswe’veseen(cloudinthe2010s,remoteworkingin2021)thisfeelslikeamomentwhenallthedialsaremovingatonce.

Butit’snotjusttechnologythat’schanging.Geopoliticaluncertaintyismakingbusinessplanningtougherand,formany,budgets

tighter.Atthesametime,evolvingexpectationsaroundcorporateresponsibilityandtheroleofbusinessinsocietyareprompting

organisationstorethinktheirpurpose.

Backin2021,wethoughtwe’dseenthepeakofdisruptioninthepost-pandemicworld.Now,we’renotsosure.

Almosteveryorganisationhastore-evaluatehowittransacts

businessinthisnewvolatileworld,andhowtoconnectmoredeeplywiththecustomer.

Amidthechaos,bringingthehuman-like‘mind’ofAItogether

withthecreative,nuancedworldofreal-lifehumansoffers

enormouspotential.Atitscoreisdata,helpingorganisations

understandtheirbusinessonadeeperlevelanddeployingAIandroboticstoturnideasintorealities.Itreallyisanexcitingtimetobeinbusiness.

Butunlockingthatpotentialrequiresmorethanmeetingthe‘minds’ofmachines.Itcallsforameetingofhumanminds–between

customersandcompanies,betweenthetechfunctionandtheteamstheyserve,andbetweendigitalleadersandtheirpeople.

Atagloballevel,alignmentbetweenminds–acrosscultures,sectorsandcountries–hasneverbeenmorevital.Theseissuesmaystretchbeyondtheboundariesofthisreport,butour26-yearperspective

givesusawindowin.

Progresshappensnotwhenmindscompete,butwhentheyconnect.

5THINGSTODOWITHTHISREPORT

AIinaction

Readreal-world

experiencesofhowyour

peersareusingAI

Trendspotting

Exploretrendsbysector,

regionandorganisationalsize

Techspend

Benchmarkyourinvestmentacrosssectors

Buildyour

businesscase

Seehowothersarejustifyingspendingintimesofuncertainty

Salarycheck

Engagewithourteamslocallytobenchmarkyoursalary

CONTENTS

Introduction2

Keytakeaways4

Infographic5

Investmenttrends,budgetsandmacrofactors6

Budgetsandheadcount6

Budgetgrowthbysectorandsize7

Boardpriorities8

Artificialintelligence10

WhereisAIworking?13

Top5large-scaleapplicationsofAI13

AIinaction-digitalleaderssharetheirstories14

Technologyinvestmentandchallenges17

Thetechnologymaturityindex18

Definitionofmajorcyberattackchanging20

Talentandworkforce22

Talentshortages22

Cybersecurityandsoftware23

Hybridworking24

DEI–isitworking?27

EngagingGenZ27

Neurodiversity28

Womenintechnology29

Thecareerofthedigitalleader30

Netzeroandcorporatesocialresponsibility33

Regionalleaguetables37

Sectorleaguetables38

Companysizeleaguetables40

ABOUTTHESURVEY

122,000

datapoints

26

yearsofdata

Aboutthisreport

The2025NashSquared/HarveyNashDLRistheworld’slargestandlongest-runningsurveyofseniortechnologydecision-makers.Launchedin1998andpreviouslycalledtheCIOSurvey,ithasbeenaninfluentialandrespectedindicatorofmajortrends

inthetechnologyanddigitalindustriesfor2decades.Thisyear,asurveyof2,015

technologyanddigitalleaderstookplacebetween13December2024and26March2025,across62countries.Thisperiodcapturestheimpactofmajorgeopolitical

changesthatoccurredfollowingthechangeofadministrationintheUS.

ThelastDLRwaspublishedinlate2023.Inresponsetodigitalleaderfeedbackwe’vetimedthecurrenteditionearlierintheyeartobetteralignwithinvestmentcycles.Theperiodbetweenthe2023and2025DLRswas16months.

2,015

respondents

62

countries

3

8keytakeaways

4.Skillsgapsshift–andAItopsthelist

AIhasjumpedtothenumber1skills

shortage,upfromsixthlastyearand

thesteepestrisewehaveeverseen.

Butit’snotalone:cybersecurityand

automationarealsoinshortsupply.

Meanwhile,demandforsoftware

engineersandenterprisearchitectshasdipped,partlyduetoAIhelpingbridgelong-standinggapsintheseareas.

2.AImovesfrompilottoproductivity

AIhasshiftedfromexperiment

toexecution.Theproportionof

organisationsrunninglarge-scaleAIimplementationshasnearlydoubled,and1in3reportclearreturnon

investment(ROI).Butthebiggest

barrierisn’tthetech–it’sprovingthebusinesscase.AIisalsochangingthekindofpeopleleaderswanttohire.

3.Cybercrimejumps

Afteryearsofdecline,major

cyberattacksarerisingagain.Halfof

leadersnowworryaboutthreatsfromforeignpowers,whileinsiderrisksare

alsoontherise.Withcybersecurityseenbymanyasthecostofdoingbusiness,thepressuretojustifypreventionspendisgrowing,butsoisthedamageof

inaction.

1.Investmentslows,butprioritiessharpen

Technologybudgetsandheadcountgrowthhaveslowedtothelowest

levelinadecade.Globaleconomic

pressuresandpoliticaluncertaintyareweighingheavily,butinvestmenthasn’tvanished–it’sjustmoreselective.

BoardsaremostattractedtoclearbusinesscasestiedtooperationalefficiencyandAI-poweredgrowth.

6.Hybridharmony–ortension?

3daysintheofficeisthenewnorm,butnoteveryone’shappy.While

leadersfeeltheirhybridapproachisworking,employeedissatisfactionishigherinorganisationswithstrictermandates.Flexibleworkingremainskeytoattractingtalent,andwhat

feelsfinetodaycouldquicklyshiftashiringpicksup.

7.Diversityinfocus,butgenderequityflatlines

Diversity,equityandinclusion(DEI)

effortsremainstrongdespiteshifting

politicalwinds.Thisispartlybecauseitmakesbusinesssense.Aroundone-fifthofatechteamcouldbeconsidered

neurodivergent,andnearlyhalfof

leadersaresupportive.OrganisationsthatengagewithGenZaremaking

moreprogressinAI.Butprogresson

genderisstuck:just23%oftechteamsarewomen–thesameas2yearsago.

8.Digitalleadersgetpragmatic

Theinfluenceofdigitalleadersremainssteady,butstayingpowerisshort–mostexpecttoleavetheirrolewithin3.3years.AIanddatasuccessaredrivingthe

biggestpayrises,butit’sthehungerforchallengethatkeepsleadersmotivated.Whenaskedwhytheytookthejob,

nearlyhalfsaid:“exciting,rewardingchallenges”.

5.Outsourcingup,retentionuncertain

Asmarketsstayunpredictable,more

digitalleadersareleaningonoutsourcingtoflexwithdemand.While80%expect

toretaintheirtoppeople,44%of

techworkerssaytheyplantoleave.

Engagement,notjustretention,isthe

newbattleground–especiallyashybridmodelsevolveandcandidatesdemandflexibility.

4

DIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

ATAGLANCE

BUDGETS&GROWTH

1

39%

growth—slowestin

adecade

bigjumpin

operational

efficiencyasa

boardpriority

?

geopolitical

uncertainty

driving

caution

expecttechbudget

cs

19%

large-scaleAI

projects

(upfrom10%)

AI

33%

51%

employees

TopusecasesforAI

1.Software

development

2.Helpdesk

3.Marketing

reportclearROI

BUT

nowrunning

notupskilling

CYBERSECURITYBACKINFOCUS

29%

fear

experienceda

majorattack

foreignpowers

organisedcyber-crimeremains

number1fear

42%

BUT

fearattacksfrominsiders

challengesjustifyinginvestmentinthe invisibleremain

haveanet-zero

targetandexpect

tomeetit

53%

SKILLS&TALENT

Top3

in-demandskills

1.AI

2.Data&Analytics

3.Cyber

AIisthefastest

growingskills

shortagein16years

65%

prioritiseAIskills

overexperience

17%

tobefulfilledbyAIin

thefuture

outsourcingtogrow

oftechhiringexpected

ofdigitalleaders

HYBRIDWORKING

employee

dissatisfactionup

mandatedofficedaysup

ROLEOFTHEDIGITALLEADER

65%

committee

hared

apayrise

AIakeydriver

ofsalary

increases

areontheexec

GOODFORTHEWORLD?

believeregulationof

BUT

47%

62%

bigtechcompanies

believetechwill

helpachieve

netzero

notheadinginthe

rightdirection

5

1.Investmenttrends,budgetsandmacrofactorsDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

Budgetsandheadcount

1.INVESTMENTTRENDS,BUDGETS

Thisyear,we’veseencontinueddownwardpressureontechnologybudgetsandheadcount.Globally,there’sstillgrowth,butat

itslowestpointinadecade.Sluggisheconomicconditionsand

geopoliticaluncertainty,coupledwiththedriveforefficiency,havemadeorganisationsmorecautiousabouttheirinvestment.

ANDMACROFACTORS

Expectingtechnologybudgetincreases

56%60%52%

43%

43%47%42%

49%

45%

36%39%43%42%

39%

46%44%45%46%

25%28%

20052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232025*

Organisationsexpectingtechbudgetincreasesinnext12months.

Expectingtechnologyheadcountincreases

InourpreviousDLR,weobservedthatexpectationsfortechnologybudgetandheadcountgrowthpeakedintheimmediatepost-

pandemicperiod,beforedecliningtolevelsmoreconsistentwithlong-termtrends.

Thisyear,whileglobaltechnologyinvestmentcontinuestorise,its

growthratehasdeclinedfurther–tothelowestlevelinadecade.

62%58%

51%47%

50%

Andwhilethereremainsgrowth,thepost-pandemicinvestmentboomappearstobeover–fornow.

44%44%44%

43%

45%

41%40%41%

41%

Thebiggerpicture

.

Technologyinvestmentreflectsthewidereconomy.FormostcountrieseconomicgrowthhasbeensluggishandforsometherehasbeennoneAndwhereorganisationshaveseengrowthithasoftenbeenhard

20112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232025*

OrganisationsexpectingITtechnologyheadcountgrowthinthenext12months.

foughtfor.

3%)41%SI

%939%Increase

Organisationsplanforheadcount

Organisationsplanforbudget

Fiscalpressureshavealsohadaneffect.InpartsofEurope,highercorporateandemploymenttaxratesandsocialsecuritylevieshaveplacedadditionalstrainonbusinesses,whileintheUS,discussionsaroundpayrolltaxadjustmentscontinuetoshapehiringdecisions.

Asweshowinthisreport,investmentdoesremain,butthedigital

Staythesame

Decrease

leadersattractingbudgetgrowthhaveaclear-cutbusinesscaseoftencentredaroundtheorganisation’soveralloperationalefficiencyaimsorrevenuegrowth.AIisacommontheme.

41%

Movingforward,concernscausedbyanincreasinglyunpredictable

Howdoyouexpectyourtechnology

headcounttochangeinnext12months?

Howdoyouexpectyourtechnologybudgettochangeinnext12months?

geopoliticalandeconomicenvironmenthavefuelleduncertaintyandcaution.Businessesthriveonstabilityandwouldoftenrathercontendwithbadnewsthanoperateinaclimateofambiguity.However,

ambiguitycanoftencreateopportunity.

*The

6

lastDLRwaspublishedinlate2023.We’vetimedthecurrentedition16monthslatertobetteralignwithinvestmentcycles.

Ofcourse,withanydata,detailsarecrucialandinvestmentgrowthisnotevenly

distributedacrosssectors.‘Technology’leadstheway(48%ofrespondentsexpectbudgetincreases),continuingthehighgrowthwereportedinourlastDLR.Acrosstheworld,manygovernmentsandlargeorganisationshaveannouncedbiginvestmentsintheinfrastructuretosupportdigitaltransformation(muchofitwithanAIflavour),andweseethisreflectedinbudgetexpectations.

Therearealsostrongexpectationsinboth‘financialservices’and’power/utilities’at46%.

Whiletraditionalbankingremainsresilient,thewiderfinancialecosystem–particularlyfintechinnovationandalternativelending–appearstobeexperiencingevengreatermomentum.

Thepower/utilitiessectorhasseenincreasingglobalinvestmentinenergyinfrastructure,

renewableprojects,andgridmodernisation,asindustriesandgovernmentsprioritiseenergysecurityandsustainability.

Meanwhile,‘government’and‘education’facenotablechallenges,reflectingbroaderfundingandeconomicpressuresandshiftingconsumerbehaviours.

Inourlastreport,‘manufacturing/automotive’toppedthetable,andhassincedropped

significantly.Thereisawiderangeoffactorsinfluencingthissector,fromtheswitchingof

focustoelectricvehiclestoitsexposuretoaglobalsupplychainnetworkthatisparticularlysusceptibletogeopoliticalchanges.

Organisationsexpectingabudgetincreasebysector

TechnologyFinancialservicesPower&utilities

Business/professionalservices

Globalaverage

Construction/engineeringHealthcare

Manufacturing/automotiveRetail

Transport/logistics

TelecommunicationsPharmaceuticals EducationGovernment

48%

mm46%mm46%

44%

39%

38%

35%

35%

35%

35%

32%

31%

25%

25%

Howdoyouexpectyourtechnologybudgettochangeinthenext12months?‘Increase’.

Budgetincreaseexpectationsbyorganisationalsize

Over$250m$50-$250m

Howdoyouexpectyourtechnologybudgettochangeinthenext12months?

Under$50m

28%34%38%

22%41%37%

19%41%40%

DecreaseStaythesameIncrease

Smallerorganisations–thosewithtechnologybudgetsbelow$50million–

arethemostlikelytoanticipateanincreaseinspending.Thosethatarestart-upsandscale-upsmayhaveaccesstofundingthatislesssusceptibleto

short-termmacrotrends.Smallerorganisationsalsooftenhavegreateragility,enablingthemtoexplorenewmarketsoradjusttheiroperatingmodelsmorerapidlythanlargerenterprises.

Beingsmallalsoremovesmanyofthe‘ceiling’effectsthatlargerorganisationsencounterwhentryingtopenetrateamarket.Whilemajorenterprisesoften

facesaturationpointsorregulatoryhurdlesthatlimitexpansion,smallercompaniescanscalewithoutthesameleveloforganisationalinertia.

1.Investmenttrends,budgetsandmacrofactorsDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

7

1.Investmenttrends,budgetsandmacrofactorsDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

Boardpriorities

2025(%)PreviousDLR(%)Change

Improvingoperationalefficiency

53%

46%

↑7%

Developingnewproductsandservices

36%

35%

↑1%

Enablingtheworkforcetobemoreproductive

30%

28%

↑2%

Gainingactionableinsightsfromdata

28%

28%

→0%

Improvingcustomerexperienceandaccessibility

27%

34%

↓7%

Whatarethetopbusinessaimsthatyourmanagementboardislookingfortechnologytoaddress?

It’snosurprisethattheboard’sfocusontechnologyremainsinward-looking,with

‘operationalefficiency’itstoppriority.Thiswasthecaselastyearaswell,butthe

urgencyhasintensified–risingfrom46%to53%ofdigitalleaderscitingitasakeyfocus.

Whileoperationalefficiencyisthetoppriority,whengivenachoicebetweenusingtechnologyto‘makemoney’or‘savemoney,’two-thirdsofCEOsprioritisegrowth.Outward-facinginitiatives–suchas‘developingnewproducts’and‘improving

customerexperience’remaincritical.

Theyallneedtobeontheagendaofyournextboardmeeting,but–asthisreporthighlights–justmakesureyouputoperationalefficiencyfirst.

Furtherreading

Datasheet:Technologybudgetsasaproportionofrevenueby

sector,NashSquared.

39ofthisreport.

Datasheet:Technologybudgetandheadcountgrowthbyregion,NashSquared.

Page37ofthisreport.

AndyHeyes

ManagingDirector,

HarveyNashUK&Ireland,CentralEuropeandSpinks

Challengingtimesoratimetochallenge?

Organisationscravecertainty.Butasthisyear’sreportshows,digital

leadersarenavigatingalandscapewherepredictabilityisinshort

supply.Markets,regulation,politics,customerdemand,andthepaceoftechnologicalchangeareallmovingtargets–makingithardertoplanwithconfidence.

Yetbeneaththeturbulence,onetrendstandsout:arenewedfocusonoperationalefficiency.

Thatmightsoundlikebusinessasusual,butitisn’t.In2025,efficiency

isn’tjustaboutcosts,it’saboutprecision.It’saboutsharpeningthe

organisation’sfocusonwhattrulydrivesvalue.Andincreasingly,it’saboutusingtechnology–especiallyAI–notjusttostreamline,buttoamplify

whatteamscanachieve.

Timetochallenge

Byfreeinguptime,expandingcapacityandimprovingdecision-making,operationalefficiencybecomesaplatformforreinvention.Itallows

organisationstochallengeassumptions,reimagineprocessesand

strengthenrelationshipswithcustomers,partnersandemployeesalike.

Inuncertaintimes,it’snotjustaboutcoping.It’saboutchallengingthestatusquoandusingthismomenttobuildsomethingstronger.

8

1.Investmenttrends,budgetsandmacrofactorsDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

Q:Whatimprovesapitchtotheboardfortechinvestment,beyondsimplythebusinesscase?

JonChu

CEO,Revolv,NewYork,US

“Thebesttechinvestmentpitchesaren’tjustaboutROI—theycreateurgency.Boardmembersneedtoseehowtheinvestmentsecuresacompetitiveadvantage,mitigatesrisk,andscalesefficiency.

WhenrollingoutanAI-drivendataplatform,

Iframeditaroundreducingdecisionlatency

andimprovingdataaccuracy—ensuringfaster

executionandregulatoryreadiness.Thestrongest

pitchesshifttheconversationfrom‘Whyinvest?’to‘Howsooncanweimplement?”

SlawekSoszynski

CIO/CTO,INGBankSlaski,Warsaw,Poland

“Asamanagementboardmember,thebesttechinvestmentpitchincludes:(a)clear

alignmentwithbusinessstrategy,showing

supportforlong-termgoalslikeefficiency

andgrowth,(b)tangibleoutcomeswith

demonstrableROIandacleartimeline,(c)

useofnarrativestosimplifycomplextech

conceptsandinspirewithacompellingvision,and(d)positiveenergyandresponsivenessto

feedbackfromthepitchdeliveryteam.”

JoGraham

ChiefDigitalInformationOfficer,Pharmacy2U,Leeds,UK

“Ifaninvestment/businesscaseispartofawiderstrategic

AnkurAnand

CIO,

NashSquared,London,UK

“Boardsareincreasinglylookingforassurancesthattechnologyinitiativesarenotonlycost-justified

butareintegraltothefirm’sbroaderambitions,

beitgrowth,resilience,ESG,orcompetitive

differentiation.Acompellingpitchthatlinksthe

proposedinvestmenttothecompany’sstrategy,

supportedbyclearmetrics,riskmitigation,andaroadmapforadoption,helpsshifttheconversationfromcosttovalue.Framingitintermsthe

boardunderstands—outcomes,customerandshareholdervalue—ratherthantechnicaljargon,increasesbothclarityandconfidence.”

JasonDunham

ChiefInformationOfficer,StudentLoansCompany,Glasgow,UK

journeywitharoadmap,theboardismorelikelytoseeitas

morethanapiecemealproject.Aninvestmentthatenables

furtherbenefitsorispartofatechecosystemmakesapowerfulpitch.Itshowsplanning3-5yearsout,withtechthinking

beyondtheimmediatelandscapeandbehavingstrategically.”

“Whenpitchingtotheboard,rememberthesekeypoints:

?Knowtheaudience:tailormessagestodifferentboardmembers.

?Clarity:clearlyarticulatethecustomerproposition,marketopportunity,andbusinessmodel.

?Simplicity:keeppresentationssimpleandhighlightcommercialsuccess.

?Team:showcaseyourteamandtheirstrengths,aspeopleinvestinpeople,notjustideas.”

9

2.ArtificialintelligenceDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

InvestmentinAIincreases

2.ARTIFICIAL

AIinvestmenthasacceleratedoverthepastyearasdigitalleadersuncovermoreusecasesdeliveringmeasurableresults.AlthoughAIhasbeenaroundfordecades,manytracetheir‘aha’momenttotheirfirstencounterwith

ChatGPT.Inthatsense,AIisamerebabyintechnologytermsandthereremainplentyofgrowingpains.

INTELLIGENCE

ExplosioninAIinvestment

202510%33%38%19%

InourlastDLR,wereportedhowthemajorityofdigitalleadershadexperimentedwithAI.Somehadshownpromisingresults,butveryfewreportedbreakthroughs.Andformanydigital

leaders,thereareenoughotherthingstobegettingonwith.“Thebiggestthingonmymindrightnowishowtodealwithtechnicaldebtandlegacyintegration,nottheopportunityofAI”reportedasurveyrespondent.

202341%23%26%10%NonePilotingSmallscaleLargescale

Howwouldyoucharacteriseyourinvestmentinartificialintelligence/machinelearning?

Butpushedbytheboard’sdriveforoperationalefficiency,

Reductioninexistingtechhiringneeds

astrongdesiretogetclosertothecustomerandfearof

missingout(FOMO),thingshavemovedon.Large-scale

implementationshaverisensignificantlyfrom10%to19%(a90%increase),withthemajority(57%)havingatleastasmallimplementation.

Yes

No

17%

1in3organisationsnowreportclear,demonstrableROIfromAI.Thesectorsleadingthewayare‘telecommunications’and‘technology’,wheretheimpactoncallcentreoperationsandcustomerexperienceisparticularlysignificant.

Largerorganisations–thosewithtechnologybudgets

Haveyouseenaspecificproject

usingAI/GenAIwheretherehas

beenademonstrableROIbeyond

initialpiloting?

exceedingUS$500million–arefarmorelikelytoseereturnsfromAI.Morethanhalfofthisgroupreportsmeasurable

ROI.Thisislargelyduetotheirscale:theyhavemore

opportunitiestotestandscaleinitiatives,greaterresourcestoinvest,andoftenastructuredapproachtoinnovationandpilotingnewtechnologies.

TowhatdegreedoyouthinktheuseofAI/GenAI

willreduceyourfuturehiringneedsforexisting

rolesinthenext2years?

10

AIorganisationsrecruitmorepeople

Two-thirdsconsiderAItheequivalentto3years’techexperience

51%

41%

36%

30%

35%

GenAIcandidate

23%

19%

Non-GenAIcandidate

65%

Same

Decrease

Increase

IfyouwerepresentedwithasoftwaredeveloperwithexcellentGenAIskillsand

Orgswithlarge-scaleAIimplementationsGlobalaverage

2years’experience,andsomeonewithnoGenAIskillsand5years’experience,

whichcandidatewouldbepreferable?

Organisationsplanningtoincreasetechheadcountinthenextyear.

Theheadline-grabbingeffectofAIonjobsisobvious,buttherealstoryisinthe

potential.Asonedigitalleadercommented,“IfIwasfacedwithabinarychoiceforAIinvestment–makeuscheaperormakeusbetter–Iwouldchoose‘better’.It’sthefastestwaytosustainableprofit.”

Theorganisationsthataremostaheadwithlarge-scaleimplementationsofAIare24%morelikelytobeincreasingtheirtechheadcountthantheirpeers,mostlyin

areasofAIanddata.Forthem,AIiscorrelatedwithmore,notless,techroles.

Digitalleadersbelievethattheirhiringneedsforexistingtechpositionswillreduceby18%inthenext2years.Morebroadly,respondentspredictthataround18%oftheworkforcewillbeautomatedinthenext5years.

Thisisnottheoretical–digitalleadersarealreadyseeingitseffects.Rightnow,65%ofdigitalleaderswouldchooseanAI-enabledsoftwaredeveloperwithjust2years’experience,overonewitha5-yearcareerbutwithoutAIskills.

Thisnotonlyimpliesthetypeofpersonadigitalleadermightwanttoattract,butalsohowtheywillwanttodeveloptheskillsoftheirexistingteam.Asweseelaterinthe

reporttherearemanyareaswheredemandoutstripssupply,especiallyinAIitself,andthepotentialforAItoupskillexistingteammembersissignificant.

Formost,thisisn’taconversationabout‘whocanIautomate?’DigitalleadersseeAIasanevolutionratherthanarevolutionandtheywillstitchitintotheorganisationasitgrowsandevolves.Butwhenlookingatfuturehiringneeds,itsimpactonhiringismoreobviousandhasbeenreflectedinbudgeting.

2.ArtificialintelligenceDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

11

2.ArtificialintelligenceDIGITALLEADERSHIPREPORT2025

OverhalfarenotupskillingingenerativeAI

SoftwaredevelopmentistheleadingapplicationofAI

13%

18%

ExtensiveModerateLimited

Little/no

Creatingortestingcode

Internalhelpdesks(e.g.IT,HRetc.)

35%

34%

Marketing(e