AI Tools Without Training Time Are Wasted Investment

UK Businesses Are Buying AI Tools But Not Giving Employees Time to Use Them

Companies are spending on AI. Employees aren't getting the time to make it work. That gap is now showing up in the ROI numbers — and new research makes the cost of inaction hard to ignore.

According to Slalom's AI Research Outlook 2026, 70% of UK businesses have given employees access to AI tools and technologies. But only 48% are actually allocating time for staff to experiment with them. The tools are there. The learning isn't.

The Skills Gap Is the Real Bottleneck

The research found that 54% of respondents identified the workforce skills gap as the biggest barrier to AI ROI. A separately released finding from the same study showed 41% of employees said the lack of structured AI training or time to learn was holding them back.

This isn't an awareness problem. Employees know AI exists. What's missing is protected time to explore it, test it, and figure out how it fits their actual work.

What Happens When You Give Employees That Time

TP ICAP made a deliberate choice to give staff space to explore AI. According to Shahen Bokhari, AI Product Portfolio Lead at TP ICAP, that investment accelerated adoption, built real ownership, and helped translate technology into tangible business benefits.

The message from the research is direct: the gap between AI ambition and AI return closes when people get time — not just tools.

Key Takeaways

• 70% of UK businesses provide AI tools; only 48% allocate time to learn them
• 54% cite the workforce skills gap as the top barrier to AI ROI
• Companies that give structured AI exploration time see faster adoption and measurable business results

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