Lack of skills causing AI setbacks, says research

Skills shortages are preventing firms from working towards artificial intelligence (AI) goals, according to research from Expereo and IDC.

Asking CIOs about their technology priorities over the next year, the research found that 37% of firms in the UK are struggling to keep their AI, automation and data talent, hindering their plans for AI.

With ongoing talent shortages, firms are having to fight to keep the talent they have and are all fishing from the same small pool when it comes to recruiting new talent.

Ben Elms, CEO of Expereo, said: “CIOs need to keep pace with market innovations, customer expectations and fierce competition when it comes to AI, while ensuring they are adopting the technology responsibly and effectively, without cutting corners.

“This is a difficult act to balance, and without the necessary skills in place, driven by competition for AI and core networking talent, CIOs should look to outsource crucial expertise and partner with the right technology providers that can offer the local expertise and growth initiatives that work for them.”

This lack of AI skill and understanding is not just internal, with 29% of CIOs saying their external technology partners aren’t in a place to support AI implementation, while 29% said the capabilities around AI implementation differ depending on region.

With AI being a fast-growing area of the technology sector, most businesses are thinking about how they can best utilise the technology – but because of how new some of these applications of AI are, businesses are also struggling to find the skills they need.

The past few years has seen several reports of a lack of AI skills, with Computer Weekly’s own research finding almost half of European IT workers claimed AI skills are lacking in the sector to a worrying degree.

The government has previously announced funding of £118m to try to tackle this issue by investing in Centres for Doctoral Training for the development of AI applications, a grant scheme to help up-and-coming AI talent come to the UK, a number of scholarships and an AI-focused visa scheme.

Another challenge faced by firms, however, is dealing with the unexpected ways AI affects the operation of business, including how employees use the technology.

Remote working has become increasingly important since the pandemic, with many now refusing to work for firms without some kind of flexible working policy – although this comes with its own challenges when it comes to technologically supporting remote workers.

Much like the shadow IT concerns of the past, businesses are concerned how employees will be using AI tools not issued by the organisation, such as ChatGPT.

Expereo and IDC found 40% of CIOs in the UK are concerned about fully understanding what employees are using AI for, with almost half saying that training employees in how to appropriately use AI in an ever-changing working environment is a huge challenge for them at the moment, especially with those who work remotely.

Proper training and skills are also likely to alleviate the concerns that CIOs have about adhering to governance and ethics surrounding the development and use of AI technologies, according to the research.

But CIOs are ready to tackle these challenges, with almost half of those asked claiming to be excited do get the ball rolling on AI initiatives – only 5% of firms in the UK aren’t ready for the AI revolution at this point.