AI is delivering productivity gains for business leaders, but proving the return is the next operational excellence challenge. An EY-Parthenon survey of 100 UK CEOs, reported by IT Brief UK, finds half rank AI-enabled tools among their top three productivity drivers over the past 12 months, ahead of process redesign at 40% and reskilling at 38%. Yet only 14% have comprehensive, real-time visibility of AI costs, and 32% report significant gaps in assessing return on investment.

The findings are a business performance opportunity as much as a warning. Silvia Rindone, EY-Parthenon UK and Ireland Managing Partner, said the AI conversation has shifted from adoption to impact, and CEOs now want clear evidence of measurable business value. The gains are real, and the gap is fixable. Three priorities stand out: measurement discipline, deal fundamentals, and workforce skills.

Measurement discipline comes first. Some 34% of UK CEOs name legacy technology and operating models as the biggest obstacle to converting productivity into value, while 44% are reinvesting gains in growth, innovation, or transformation. Irish CEOs offer a benchmark. In EY Ireland's separate survey of 40 CEOs, 84% increased AI investment, 58% report measurable impact in core operations, and 68% use standard metrics to report AI impact across major projects.

Deal fundamentals come second. Some 54% of UK CEOs are piloting AI in selected transaction-evaluation activities, 28% use it across multiple activities, and 9% have embedded it across most. Matthew Ringelheim, EY UK and Ireland AI and data leader, cautioned that AI is no substitute for rigorous analysis, clear strategic choices, and disciplined execution. Irish CEOs echo that discipline, prioritising strategic fit at 64%, AI capability enhancement at 62%, and margin profile and return on investment at 34% when assessing deals.

Workforce skills come third. Some 74% of UK CEOs expect skills shortages to become a greater barrier to growth than access to capital within three years, and 47% say their organisation is not developing skills quickly enough to keep pace with AI. Irish CEOs share the focus: 60% see large-scale reskilling and upskilling of existing employees with AI as the main workforce impact over the next three years.

Three operational leadership steps follow. First, build cost and ROI visibility with standard metrics, so every AI investment can be traced to outcomes. Second, apply AI to deal evaluation inside a disciplined framework that tests strategic fit and margin. Third, fund process improvement and reskilling together, because operating models and skills determine whether productivity becomes sustainable value.

The EY-Parthenon findings show AI productivity is real and growing. Irish organisations that pair that momentum with measurement, deal discipline, and skills investment will convert it into measurable business transformation and lasting competitive advantage in the years ahead.