The AI paradox: European companies see it as a priority, but only 29% feel ready

Source: Il Sole 24 Ore – Rome, 29 September 2026. 

New research by Chaberton Partners, the European executive search firm

AI is universally recognised as a strategic priority, yet the gap between stated intentions and concrete execution remains significant. Only 29% of companies consider themselves ready to tackle the transition to AI-enabled ways of working, and just 8% have introduced KPIs capable of reliably measuring its economic return. In HR functions with a dedicated AI budget, the average share stands at around 15% of total resources: a sign that the technology is still treated as an experimental project rather than a structural transformative lever.

This is what emerges from the new research by Chaberton Partners, the European executive search firm, titled “The Orchestrator of the Adaptive Organisation”. The study is based on more than one hundred qualitative interviews with HR leaders of medium-to-large companies operating in six European countries — Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland — with 93% of headquarters located in Europe.

The research identifies three main directions that are redefining the role and responsibilities of the HR function: the gap between ambition and reality in the adoption of artificial intelligence; the growing need to build resilient organisations capable of coping with continuous shocks; and the strengthening of corporate culture as a strategic lever in a multigenerational context.

It is from these data that the conversation Chaberton Partners and Luiss Guido Carli will host on Tuesday 29 September, from 6:30 pm at Luiss’s Sala delle Colonne, will begin. It will start from the research findings, which will be the focus of a round table with five business leaders — Stefano Barrese (Head of Banca dei Territori, Intesa Sanpaolo), Stefania Boschetti (CEO, EY Italy), Paolo Chiriotti (CHRO, TIM), Paolo Gallo (CEO, Italgas) and Antonio Liotti (CHRO, Leonardo) — moderated by Davide Cefis, Senior Partner at Chaberton Partners. The proceedings will be opened by Rector Paolo Boccardelli and by Christian Vasino, CEO and Founder of Chaberton Partners. Pro-Rector Enzo Peruffo will close the event.

The problem of fragmented responsibilities
What is holding back the scaling up of AI is not financial resources, but the fragmentation of responsibilities — often contested between HR and IT — and the shortage of in-house skills. The HR processes most affected by investment in the technology are recruiting and selection, workforce planning and predictive analytics, and personalised training. At the same time, CHROs, or Heads of HR, point to uneven data quality, dependence on legacy systems and cultural resistance to change as the main obstacles.