Forrester: AI's biggest obstacle in 2027 is the gulf between what executives expect and what employees experience
According to Forrester, executives keep raising their expectations of efficiency gains, while employees take tools that don't quite live up to their promise and apply them to work that isn't yet clearly defined. That gap will widen in 2027.
What's happening
According to a prediction published on Forrester Blogs, the greatest barrier to realizing AI's value in 2027 will be the gap between what executives expect from AI and what employees see it do in their own work. Forrester's 2026 research found that 66% use AI embedded in productivity apps, yet only 32% say AI actually improved top-line productivity.
Whose desk it lands on
The executive responsible for AI investments. Do the employees using these tools see what they actually add to their work?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
Wider use of AI tools doesn't mean higher productivity: according to Forrester, even as 66% use AI embedded in productivity apps, only 32% say top-line productivity has actually improved. Forrester locates the problem not in the technology but in a lack of the people-and-process focus the tools require.
