ServiceNow Finds AI Talent Gap Widest at Fortune AIQ Summit

Diana David, ServiceNow's director of futures and a self-described "forward-deployed futurist," highlighted at the Fortune AIQ Summit that the most substantial disparities between companies leading in artificial intelligence adoption and those lagging behind are rooted in human capital, not solely technology. David observed that chief executive officers are increasingly seeking employees who can operate "on the edge" to gather insights about AI's real-world impact within their organizations. Her findings indicate that companies excelling in AI are distinguished primarily by their investment in people and operational discipline. According to ServiceNow's Enterprise AI Maturity Index, 57% of "pacesetter" organizations invest in ongoing AI upskilling for their employees, a stark contrast to the mere 4% of other organizations. The report identifies the attraction, hiring, and retention of AI talent as the single widest gap, with 68% of pacesetters focusing on this area compared to only 10% of others. David emphasized that this success is driven by "operational discipline and transformation," extending beyond mere technological implementation. Pacesetters, defined as approximately 21% of surveyed organizations scoring above 60 on a 100-point index, achieved an average score of 74, significantly higher than the 45 average for the remaining organizations. This leadership advantage is also evident in data strategy, with 64% of pacesetters on a path to unified data, compared to only 14% of other companies. Furthermore, around 57% of pacesetters possess "a clear, strong AI vision," versus 21% of their less advanced counterparts. The summit also addressed the development of autonomous workflows. While 59% of all surveyed companies have moved beyond the pilot phase for AI initiatives, only 9% are implementing agentic, autonomous, multi-step workflows that do not require human intervention at every stage. Among pacesetters, this figure rises to 36%, compared to just 2% of other organizations. David expressed concern over what she termed her "pet peeve": "AI adoption for everyone." She acknowledged the appeal of broad AI implementation as a "great CEO story," citing that "95% of everybody has X, Y, Z." However, she argued that this widespread adoption is often not translating into tangible productivity gains, frequently lacking adequate training, and therefore not indicative of true AI maturity.