Pluralsight released survey data from 600 technology decision-makers about the state of their AI strategies, investments and skills. This data was used to create a benchmark for Pluralsight's AI Readiness Index, a tool that allows companies to gauge where their AI strategies stack up against other organizations in their industry.

According to the findings, more than half (54%) of companies have yet to form comprehensive AI strategies, 67% have only short-term AI plans (one year or less) in place, and 56% don't have fully mature data systems to handle AI's technical and operational demands.

"There is a critical gap between organizational ambition and actual readiness when it comes to AI adoption," said Chris McClellen, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Pluralsight. "While many companies recognize the importance of AI, the lack of long-term strategies, mature systems, and comprehensive workforce upskilling to support the demands of AI leaves them unable to capitalize on its potential. To successfully leverage AI technologies, companies must shift from tactical investments to strategic, actionable AI goals that span further than one year, and include the infrastructure and skilled workforce needed to scale effectively."

AI Skills Gaps Rage On

The findings uncovered several key insights about the AI skills gap that is preventing organizations from implementing AI effectively:

• 75% of companies have experienced delays or pauses in at least one or more AI projects due to a lack of employee AI expertise
• 35% of respondents said half or less of its employees have well-developed AI skills
• 38% of respondents said half or less of its departments have adopted AI skills as part of training programs and day-to-day use

AI Readiness May Be Tied to Revenue and Spend

In this research, Pluralsight found that organizations with less revenue (61%) lack actionable AI goals. However, even among organizations with larger revenue, there is still minimal spend on AI initiatives. More than half (58%) of organizations with over $50 million in annual revenue are spending less than $500,000 on their AI investments, or about 1% of their total revenue.

This data shows that many organizations still have significant progress to make against their AI goals, including closing skills gaps, creating long-term AI strategies, and investing more deeply into AI initiatives.

In the process of implementing AI in your organization? Take Pluralsight's AI Readiness Index to determine your organization's AI readiness score, obtain recommendations to improve, and understand how you compare to other organizations in your industry.