Expleo, London, UK – New research from engineering, technology and consulting services provider, Expleo suggests that UK business is shrugging off ‘zero return’ fears around AI projects, with 70% of those surveyed rating their organisation’s programmes a success.
However, the study of 250 UK business leaders also suggests a widening gap between early-stage experimentation and enterprise-wide adoption, with 40% highlighting integration with legacy systems as the main challenge in scaling AI-led technology programmes.
Of the projects launched in the last 12 months, respondents confirmed that only a handful were cancelled or paused, with most in planning or early development (40%), others at pilot stage (28%) and almost a third already operational (30%).
Among those who said projects had fallen short of expectations (15%), there was a general caution around their organisation’s ability to derive long-term business impact. This group cited a lack of measurable time savings for employees (41%), new insights (38%), and evidence of return on investment (34%) as their chief concerns.
“If organisations can’t get past these hurdles, there’s a real risk that AI becomes stuck in perpetual pilot mode or fails to scale,” said Jeff Hoyle, EVP and MD – UK & NA at Expleo. “Without addressing the barriers to legacy system integration and proving clear returns, businesses will struggle to move from experimentation to meaningful transformation. That could mean wasted investment and missed opportunities to harness AI’s full potential.”
Biggest blockers to AI projects' success
When asked their view on the biggest challenge to scaling AI projects after the pilot phase, business leaders highlighted integration with existing systems as the biggest blocker (40%), rising to more than half of those working in large enterprises. Around a third saw budget constraints as a limiting factor (33%) and lack of internal expertise (29%) rounded out a trio of top-of-mind issues.
Rising costs are also a major stumbling block, with budget overruns the most common reason for cancellations or delays (38%). By contrast, cultural resistance from employees or leadership appeared to be far less significant to the group surveyed, with fewer than one in five business leaders pointing to this as an obstacle (19%).
Despite these challenges, the outlook for well executed AI projects remains strong. Nine in ten organisations surveyed said they are likely to invest further in AI in the near future.
Hoyle concluded: “The research suggests that with the right focus on integration and execution, the next wave of AI adoption could deliver significant and lasting value across sectors.”
Media contact
Gwen Allen – gwen.allen@expleogroup.com
About the research
- Conduct in August 2025
- By Opinium on behalf of Expleo
- Surveyed 250 leaders in UK businesses
