4 in 10 UK CIOs warn of unrealistic board expectations

39% of UK technology leaders believe their board has unrealistic expectations or demands on how new technologies like AI will impact business performance. This is according to an IDC InfoBrief, commissioned by Expereo, which highlights serious roadblocks to global AI implementation, despite AI being considered critical to fulfilling business priorities.

The research of 650 technology leaders in global organisations across Europe, the US and APAC reveals that 32% of UK technology leaders have been forced to reassess their technology infrastructure because of rising geopolitical risks, as 33% say geopolitical disruptions are currently impacting their organisation’s growth strategies.

Amid the volatile economic backdrop, it seems most organisations are placing their bets on AI to drive growth. The research shows that 88% of UK business leaders believe AI will be important to fulfilling business priorities in the next 12 months.

The IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Expereo, “Enterprise Horizons 2025: Technology Leaders Priorities: Achieving Digital Agility”, reveals that AI has largely met or exceeded expectations to date, with only 14% of UK businesses saying AI has fallen short of expectations. UK tech leaders agree that AI will positively impact business, particularly customer-facing activities (64%) and costs (65%). However, unrealistic board expectations could throw organisations' AI plans into chaos, as 26% of UK technology executives say expectations within their organisation of what AI can do are growing faster than their ability to meet them.

Ben Elms, CEO, Expereo, comments: “As global businesses embrace AI to transform employee and customer experience, setting realistic goals and aligning expectations will be critical to ensuring that AI delivers long-term value, rather than being viewed as a quick fix. While the potential of AI is immense, its successful integration requires careful planning. Technology leaders must recognise the need for robust networks and connectivity infrastructure to support AI at scale, while also ensuring consistent performance across these networks. We are at a pivotal moment where strategic investments in technology and IT infrastructure are necessary to meet both current and future demands.”

The research paints a positive picture for the promise of AI, but only if businesses can overcome existing challenges. Almost half (47%) of UK organisations say their network/connectivity infrastructure is not ready to support new technology initiatives, such as AI. A further 49% say their network performance is preventing or limiting their organisation’s networks from supporting large data/AI projects.

41% of UK businesses also say concerns over AI governance or ethics remain a significant obstacle to implementing AI initiatives in their organisation, followed by resistance from employees regarding their jobs (30%) and keeping up with the pace of change (32%).

Meanwhile, 29% of UK businesses say that current external technology partners not having the right capabilities remains a significant obstacle to implementing AI initiatives in their organisation.

Despite these challenges, 76% of UK technology leaders believe the focus on AI has raised their profile at the board level, up from 60% in 2024.