New i4cp Study: AI Upskilling Can Improve Productivity by 30% or More, Yet Most Companies Are Still Far Behind

Surprisingly, employees at organizations that are scaling AI are also the most fearful of being replaced by it

SEATTLE, Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- i4cp, the leading human capital think tank, released its latest comprehensive study on how organizations are preparing their workforces for an AI-enabled future and what is distinguishing those that are scaling its utilization.

The global study, Workforce Readiness in the Era of AI, demonstrates that for some companies, AI is fueling massive productivity gains and accelerating their ability to grow and execute their strategies. The common element: upskilling the workforce on how to use GenAI to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Yet, most organizations are stalled in their AI training efforts and are at risk of being left behind. 

Based on survey responses from HR and other business leaders from nearly 1,000 organizations, training is proving to be a major differentiator, particularly within organizations that are already operationalizing AI today. These companies believe that additional training could improve their productivity by more than 30%, while those who are only experimenting with AI believe training would improve productivity by 10-30%.

Those who are operationalizing AI are focusing their upskilling efforts on all levels of the workforce. For example, they are 2.5x more likely to have trained their executive leaders on GenAI, and 3x more likely to say their executives use GenAI, than those which are merely experimenting.

The study uncovers how leading organizations are upskilling their workforces and readying for the future. It also highlights companies who are doing this today and experiencing tangible results, including Air New Zealand, BNSF, Genpact, HealthPoint, Klarna, Land O' Lakes, ServiceNow, Zillow, and Zurich.

"Workforce readiness is a fundamental precursor to achieving accelerated business growth, and the productivity gap between companies capitalizing on AI and scaling their efforts and those merely experimenting with it is rapidly increasing," observes Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp. "i4cp's GenAI Maturity Model highlights this gap. While the largest percentage (41%) of companies are still experimenting with GenAI, a growing number (11%) of organizations have now operationalized the capability, actively scaling AI applications across departments, restructuring processes and workflows…and doing this by offering AI-related training to most or all employees." 

The study uncovered other surprise findings, including that employees at organizations that are scaling AI are also the most fearful of being replaced by it. 

"Our team discussed this particular finding the most," revealed Oakes. "We believe it's clear that the more familiar you become with the power of AI, the realization sets in that AI is likely to be able to conduct many tasks and even functions more effectively in the long term."

Additionally, the study outlines how to prepare HR teams to realize AI's full potential. The report includes: 

• In-depth analysis of GenAI adoption trends and readiness gaps
• Real-world success stories and best practices from high-performance organizations
• Strategic insights to help HR be the primary driver of AI readiness
• Recommendations to future-proof the workforce and organizational culture
• Examples of how leading organizations are mastering workforce planning, scaling AI, and creating future-ready workforces

For organizations looking to stay ahead and prevent their workforces from falling behind, i4cp enterprise members have exclusive access to the full report. For non-members, download this free executive brief.

SOURCE i4cp