AI is helping firms feel optmistic in 2025, but lack of skills is not helping

LovabledanielsJanuary 20, 202558 Views

More businesses are optimistic about 2025 compared with 2023
Cash, skills shortages and trade wars are all causes for concern
Three in four leaders see AI as a top-three priority technology

Three in five (62%) global business leaders are optimistic about their organization’s outlook this year, which is an six percentage point increase over 2023, new research from Capgemini has revealed.

In the year ahead, companies are set to continue investing in new projects despite market uncertainty, with exactly half of global organizations set to up their spending, its report found.

Despite the initially positive outlook, some key hurdles remain. Thankfully, though, they are many ofthe same hurdles businesses have been facing for several years, which puts them in good stead to overcome them.

Business optimism is climbing

Top investment areas for 2025 include customer experience, engineering, research and development, innovation, and supply chain transformation, with artificial intelligence set to revolutionize each of these areas.

That said, troubling economic conditions continue to restrict the free flow of cash – 56% are planning to reduce costs even further, rather than grow revenue in order to tackle limited funds.

The ongoing skills shortage also continues to present its own challenges, with three in five (61%) UK leaders citing tech skills shortages as a competitive barrier, even though they want to increase investments in tech by up to 13% this year.

Newer challenges are also bubbling to the surface, with four in five businesses seeking to diversify supply chains in order to reduce their reliance on China amid the US-China trade war that continues to play out – nearly three-quarters are now worried about potential trade tariffs and other measures.

“As we look to 2025, business leaders are navigating uncertainty with an attitude of confidence and resilience – two qualities that our research shows they are looking to instill in their organizations through technology investment,” noted Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat.

Looking ahead, three in four execs globally ranked AI in their top three priority technologies for the year ahead, with the tech showing now signs of slowing down.