The AI Execution Gap
This gap arises because companies are adopting AI faster than their employees can reskill. Within a year, the number of companies still in an experimental phase will drop from 24 percent to just 7 percent. At the same time, 52 percent of executives say their management teams do not yet understand AI well, and 99% of employees worldwide will need to develop new skills to fully benefit from AI in the industry.
"The speed of AI adoption is inspiring," says Kriti Sharma, CEO of IFS Nexus Black. "But the next step lies in scaling up trust, strategy, and talent. We need to bring people, processes, and products together to deliver results. It is time to close the AI Execution Gap. Industrial AI is a strong force, and this is the moment: those who act quickly now will lead the coming decade."
Growing AI returns, but inadequate preparation and trust
The research shows a striking contrast: although AI is already delivering impressive results, most organizations are not yet ready to fully scale the benefits. More than half of the respondents (53%) admit that their organization does not yet have a clear AI strategy. At the same time, there are opportunities for companies that embrace AI: 70 percent report a better-than-expected return on AI investments. On average, 88 percent say that AI has already increased profitability, with 86 percent in the Netherlands and rising to 92 percent in the United States and even 94 percent in Germany.
To remain competitive, companies must invest in training and reskilling their employees. More than half of the respondents expect that up to 60 percent of the staff will need new skills; a third even believes this applies to the entire workforce.
However, trust remains a significant challenge. Only 29 percent of respondents feel comfortable with AI making strategic decisions independently, while 68 percent believe that a human must always validate AI outcomes. Concerns about bias also persist. In the Netherlands, half (50%) are worried about this, rising to 63 percent in the United States. The positive aspect is that 65 percent of respondents support an independent international regulator to bridge the trust gap.
Industrial AI is changing business models
Industrial AI fundamentally changes how companies operate. This AI is deeply integrated into core processes: automating maintenance, predicting disruptions, optimizing supply chains, and applying intelligent decision-making in field service, asset management, and production.
This is already happening: 54 percent of organizations use automation AI, 45 percent use predictive AI, and 35 percent are experimenting with Agentic AI, which makes decisions independently in workflows. Traditional business models are being influenced by this: 77 percent of respondents say that AI accelerates the transition to servitization – the shift from product sales to a service-oriented business model.
Kriti Sharma continues: "This is a new era where AI redefines how industries create and deliver value. Industrial AI is evolving into real-time decision-making intelligence, automating complex processes, predicting the unexpected, and enabling new service-oriented business models. The organizations that embrace this will write the next industrial chapter."
The hour of industrial AI
The IFS study shows that enterprise AI is no longer limited to innovation labs but is now also driving operational processes. The next 12 months will be decisive: organizations that can close the AI Execution Gap now will determine the future leaders of the industry.
Kriti Sharma concludes: "We are witnessing one of the most profound yet underestimated shifts in business. Industrial AI is here and is already transforming how industries operate, compete, and grow."
IFS Nexus Black combines deep domain knowledge with industrial AI to build production-ready solutions that minimize risks, maximize returns, and deliver results in weeks instead of years.
*Research was conducted among more than 1,700 senior decision-makers in industrial enterprises worldwide, including in the Netherlands. This was conducted by 3Gem in May 2025.
