- 61% of professional services firms say investing in new technology is now a top business priority
- But 34% cite poor data quality as the biggest barrier to using AI effectively
- 26% say lack of internal capability and skills is slowing AI adoption
New research from Dayshape reveals that organisations are rapidly increasing their focus on AI as a driver of growth, but are being held back by issues with data and integration.
The study of 200 UK senior leaders across professional services Inside the leadership growth agenda finds that investing in new technology is the top priority for 61% of organisations, with half (50%) of leaders also ranking it as their main personal focus for the year ahead.
However, the barriers to using AI effectively are less about access to technology and more about the conditions needed to make them work. It points to the fact that AI is only as good as the data it is based on and the people using it.
Poor data quality is cited as the single biggest barrier to effective AI adoption by 34% of leaders surveyed, followed by integration with existing systems (32%), cost and investment requirements (28%) and lack of internal capability (22%) when it comes to using it.
The research suggests these underlying data challenges are becoming more visible as firms accelerate AI adoption. More than half (54%) already use AI for data analytics, while 47% use it for data entry and 41% for innovation. AI is also increasingly being used for workforce optimisation (39%), project and resource planning (34%) and capacity modelling (29%).
Looking ahead, firms plan to expand AI further into business-critical areas linked to forecasting, staffing and client delivery. Around a third say they plan to increase use of AI in client delivery tools (32%), capacity modelling (32%), project and resource planning (31%) and workforce optimisation (30%).
The findings suggest AI is becoming increasingly central to how professional services firms manage operations, resources and performance. However, with 34% of leaders also citing poor data quality as the biggest barrier to effective AI adoption, the research highlights growing tension between AI ambition and the operational foundations needed to support it.
Andrew Bone, VP of Product at Dayshape added:
“Many people in professional services firms already struggle with poor data quality, disjointed systems and internal silos, placing a huge drag on operational effectiveness. Similarly, AI initiatives will not meet expectations if they are layered on top of those foundations.
The organisations seeing the most value are the ones focusing not just on adopting AI, but on strengthening their data and building the internal capability to use these tools effectively.
The findings highlight a shift in how organisations need to approach AI adoption, with greater emphasis on readiness as well as investment.
To read the report visit: https://dayshape.com/reports/leadership-growth-agenda-report-2025
