3 focus areas for AI maturity

Person with smartphone in front of AI stats and search bar showing 2025 AI maturity data

The latest ServiceNow Enterprise AI Maturity Index reveals global AI maturity fell nine points in the last year. AI advancement is outpacing organisations’ ability to harness it effectively—but even as scores trend downward, some enterprises are pulling ahead.

We measured AI maturity across five dimensions: strategy and leadership, workflow integration, talent and workforce, AI governance, and realising value from AI investment. Our research identified 16% of the organisations surveyed in Europe and the Middle East as Pacesetters—an elite cohort averaging higher AI maturity scores—compared to 18% of global respondents.

On average, Pacesetters translate their AI maturity into stronger business outcomes than non-Pacesetters. Our research reveals they report higher rates of gross margin growth, improved experiences, and increased efficiency from AI.

To get the most value from AI, leaders can take inspiration from the organisations leading in AI maturity. Here are three areas to target.

1. Hiring and upskilling

Recruiting people with the right skills—as well as upskilling existing talent—is pivotal to increasing AI maturity. Pacesetters are ahead: Globally, eight in 10 have implemented training programmes to reskill employees in effectively using AI, compared to 54% of non-Pacesetters.

The right skill sets can transform how organisations use AI. Overall, half of Pacesetters strongly feel they have the right talent in place to carry out their AI strategy, compared to 29% of others. Seven in 10 (71%) Pacesetters say they empower teams to independently decide how AI can improve their work, compared to 55% of non-Pacesetters.

Hiring and upskilling can be incorporated into the organisation’s AI strategy. Our research found that 45% of Pacesetters plan to hire change agents—forward-thinking employees who drive shifts in culture, vision, and goals—in the next year, compared to 36% of others.

2. AI governance

Giving employees the freedom to discover new ways to work with AI can increase innovation, but guardrails are needed to mitigate risk. Now that regulations such as the EU AI Act have come into effect, it’s critical for businesses to govern AI and the data it uses to meet their compliance needs.

Some organisations are ahead. Globally, 63% of Pacesetters have made significant progress towards establishing data governance and security policies for AI, compared to less than half (42%) of non-Pacesetters.

Clear AI governance policies can help safeguard data and equip organisations to track and respond to risk. Effective governance requires transparent communication around how AI is being used, assessment of the risk of AI systems, and ongoing education for all employees of their role in ethical AI implementation.

With 43% of the organisations we surveyed considering adopting agentic AI over the next year, now is the time to implement more robust controls. AI agents can operate with a high degree of autonomy but require effective governance strategies to mitigate risk as they’re deployed across the enterprise.

3. Agentic AI ROI

Pacesetters are seizing the opportunity to incorporate agentic AI into day-to-day operations. More than a third (36%) are using agentic AI, compared to 19% of non-Pacesetters.

Implementation is already showing a return on investment (ROI) for organisations. Our research found that deploying agentic AI can increase productivity and efficiency—but it’s not a foregone conclusion. Whilst more than half (55%) of Pacesetters report improved gross margins with agentic AI, just 22% of non-Pacesetters have seen the same gains.

Businesses struggling to deliver ROI will benefit from:

When implementing AI, 66% of Pacesetters take a platform approach that leverages a single codebase with built-in AI capabilities, in comparison to 46% of non-Pacesetters.

Gain more insights in the Enterprise AI Maturity Index 2025.