• 80% of IT decision-makers across the UK, France, Germany and Spain (EMEA) reported their organisations have already made positive progress on their AI strategies in 2024

• Over half (53%) report their organisation will increase AI investment in 2025

• Despite limited return on investment (ROI) so far, organisations are betting on AI in the long term, prioritising innovation and productivity gains over traditional financial savings

Feb 10, 2025

The IBM study, conducted by Morning Consult and developed in collaboration with Lopez Research, surveyed over 2,400 IT decision makers (ITDMs) around the world to assess the progress of their 2024 AI strategies, the returns generated from these AI investments and the impact on future plans.

Globally, the data reveals that organisations are increasing their AI investment, with one third of respondents planning to start more than 20 AI pilots in 2025, compared to only 20% in 2024. In terms of financial impact, nearly half (47%) say they are seeing positive ROI from their investments at this stage. That being said, the findings also show a change in how success is being measured, with the prioritization of innovation and productivity over money saved, to achieve the immediate business value of AI today. 

This is certainly the case in Europe[1], with the research demonstrating that while only 38% of European organisations have achieved positive ROI from their AI investment so far, below the global average of 47%, organisations are betting on AI for the long term and shifting the metrics for success – 40% of ITDMs in this region reported that AI investment was equally innovation-driven and ROI-driven.

Key EMEA findings include:

Companies are betting on AI for the long term

• 80% of EMEA ITDMs surveyed reported that their company has made progress in executing its AI strategy, with a third (31%) reporting significant progress. This falls slightly below the global average of 43%.
• Despite this, only 38% reported positive ROI from AI investments compared to the global average of 47%. France came in the lowest, with only 29% reporting positive ROI.
• This lack of short-term ROI, however, is not discouraging companies. 40% of EMEA ITDMs reported that AI investment was equally innovation-driven and ROI-driven, with just 5% reporting their strategy was exclusively ROI-driven.
• Productivity time savings (22%) and faster software development (26%) were identified as the two highest metrics for ROI, as opposed to traditional financial savings.  
• Respondents remained optimistic about long-term success, with 70% expecting to achieve positive ROI within 2 years.

Organisations remain committed to expanding their AI investment, with open source emerging as a key priority for 2025

• Over half (53%) of EMEA ITDMs stated their companies are increasing AI investment in 2025.  
• The number of AI pilots is expected to increase in 2025, with 74% of respondents stating they planned to start more than ten new pilots next year – a 4% increase from 2024.
• Open source is becoming a key priority, with 32% of  EMEA ITDMs stating that over half of their company’s current AI solutions or platforms are based on open source. However, we can expect to see this rise over the next year, with 45% of surveyed respondents identifying increased use of open source AI as a critical area for optimisation in 2025.
• Investment in cloud-managed services and hiring specialized talent were also identified as key strategies for optimisation.

Data quality and integration are the most common obstacles for organisations implementing AI.

• Data quality and availability (51%) and integration with existing systems (42%) were identified as the most common obstacles for European organisations implementing new AI pilot projects.
• When implementing AI strategies, EMEA ITDMs reported diverse challenges, with technological integration (22%) and a lack of AI expertise (22%) emerging as the most pressing.

Ana Paula Assis, General Manager and Chair of IBM EMEA, commented:

“As we look towards 2025, companies across Europe will be looking to build on the momentum of their AI progress. While organisations in Europe are reporting a lower ROI than the global average, the overall commitment to increasing investment indicates a growing recognition that AI innovation is a long-term investment in your company’s future. By placing more value on productivity gains and faster software developments than traditional financial savings, companies are demonstrating a forward-looking approach to AI that will pay dividends in the future.”

“We can also expect a significant focus on open source AI in 2025, with more companies deploying open source AI pilots than ever before. This will be critical, not only for accelerated innovation within teams, but for promoting an open and collaborative AI landscape. I am excited about the future of AI in this region and its ability to drive tangible business value, not just from a money saving perspective, but in terms of the collaboration, innovation and employee productivity it will bring.”

Study Methodology

Morning Consult conducted a survey from October 30 to November 13, 2024, among a total sample of 2,413 IT Decision Makers (ITDMS) in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, Spain, India, Singapore, Indonesia, and South Korea.  The interviews were conducted online, and the data is unweighted. Respondents are employed at companies with 101 employees or more, serving in director-level or higher roles within a technology role, with decision-making authority over at least one of the following: management of business consultants/consulting services, purchasing for IT products, or purchasing for business consulting services.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalise on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs, and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service.

Media Contact

Gregor Hastings

External Relations Lead, UK&I

Gregor.hastings@ibm.com

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