AI Ambition Outruns Workforce Readiness, Economist Impact Study Supported by Kyocera Reveals

Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. (President: Takashi Nagai) is proud to announce its sponsorship of "From Intent to Action: the leaders’ guide to building AI- powered workplaces," a new report by Economist Impact. Based on surveys with 639 senior executives as well as expert interviews across London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, and Singapore, the research reveals a widening gap between AI ambition and workforce readiness and highlights how disconnect between strategy and execution is preventing organizations from capturing AI’s full potential.

The report reveals key findings, including:

•While 88% of senior executives view AI as a source of competitive advantage, just 4% have successfully translated AI initiatives into repeatable, scalable business value.

•Productivity-first mindset limits long-term impact: 79% of assess AI success through productivity metrics, while far fewer track long-term outcomes such as employee engagement, skills development, or retention.

•AI maturity varies across global financial centers: Executives in Tokyo (11%) and New York (10%) are most likely to report enforced AI governance frameworks, compared with London (8%), Singapore (5%), and Sydney (4%).

•Critical skills gaps undermine responsible AI use: While 96% of executives rate cybersecurity as essential to AI deployment, only 20% believe their teams are proficient.

•Most firms talk up AI talent but fail to fund real workforce learning: Nearly all organizations (99%) report having some approach to developing AI skills, but most rely on informal methods.

•Soft skills shortfall and stalled implementation: Executives rank critical thinking and creativity (both at 95%) as equally important as technical expertise. Yet only around one-third believe employees currently excel in these areas. At the same time, a diffusion of responsibility is weakening AI talent strategies. Nearly half of executives say managers hold minimal responsibility for developing AI skills, while a further 8% report no responsibility at all.

Commenting on the findings, Keisuke Koyama, Executive Officer and Senior General Manager of the Corporate Marketing Division at Kyocera Document Solutions, said, "Organizations that prioritize short-term productivity over long-term skills development risk missing AI's true potential. This research highlights the non-technical factors—skills, governance, leadership—that determine whether AI ambition translates into sustainable business outcomes. Bridging these capability gaps is essential to responsible, people-centered digital transformation that delivers real business value."

Kyocera places great importance on sustainable corporate management and believes that, when applied thoughtfully within governance frameworks, AI can optimize resources and processes, strengthen risk management and compliance, improve ESG transparency, and enable longer-term, evidence-based decision making that enhances organizational resilience. The company sponsored this independent research to examine how organizations are approaching AI in practice and to surface practical, actionable insights that help leaders bridge intent and impact. If you would like to read the full report, download it here.