Only 23% See AI Productivity Gains
New research cited by Snowflake reports that only 23% of UK businesses are realizing measurable productivity gains from AI, with skills gaps and governance failures blamed for the shortfall. The statistic underlines that technology alone isn't translating into measurable ROI for most firms. (uctoday.com)
The study was a YouGov poll commissioned by Snowflake that surveyed 500 senior UK business decision‑makers between late March 2026 and publication, according to the reporting. (uctoday.com) Almost half of respondents — 45% — said AI productivity gains are confined to specific or experimental use cases rather than being scaled across the organisation. (uctoday.com) Respondents pointed explicitly to internal barriers — skills shortages, weak data quality and governance gaps — as the main reasons scaling has stalled, with those three issues repeatedly highlighted in the analysis. (erp.today) Snowflake’s researchers flagged unclear ownership and lack of alignment between AI projects and measurable business objectives as governance failures undermining scale-up efforts. (itpro.com) Despite the limited scaling, nearly all firms surveyed — 99% — expect to maintain or increase AI investment over the next 12–24 months, with only 1% planning to cut spending. (erp.today) Snowflake’s broader research shows a contrast: a separate global Snowflake/Enterprise Strategy Group report found 92% of early adopters reporting ROI and an average reported return of about $1.41 for every $1 spent on generative AI, underscoring a divergence between early‑adopter results and the UK’s scaling challenges. (businesswire.com)
