IFS points to ‘invisible revolution' in Industrial AI
Industrial AI software company IFS has released a global study detailing the scale of Industrial AI adoption across industries.
The research aims to suggest that there is an “invisible revolution” happening i.e. a rapid but under-recognised shift away from consumer productivity AI experimentation and toward embedded, operational AI across core business processes.
The IFS Invisible Revolution Study 2025 surveyed over 1,700 senior decision makers at industrial enterprises globally and found that while organisations are adopting AI today, they are not fully prepared for its full implementation.
This has created what IFS has dubbed the ‘AI Execution Gap’.
According to IFS, this gap has been formed by companies moving faster into AI adoption than their staff are able to upskill.
In the next 12 months, the number of companies still in early AI experimentation will collapse from 24% to just 7% moving up in the maturity curve, yet 52% of senior leaders say their management teams don’t fully understand AI and 99% of global workforces will require major reskilling to harness the positive impacts of AI adoption on the industrial world.
“AI is a core driver of business performance, it’s time to plug the AI Execution Gap – bring people, process and product together to deliver tangible outcomes,” said Kriti Sharma, CEO, IFS Nexus Black. “The pace of adoption is inspiring, but the next big unlock will come from scaling trust, strategy and talent. Industrial AI is a powerful force for good and we’re in a moment of opportunity: those who move fast will lead the next decade of industry.”
The research points to a contrast at the heart of the AI surge.
Unprepared for scale
While the technology is already delivering some returns, most organisations remain unprepared to scale its impact.
More than half of business leaders (53%) admit their organisation still lacks a clear AI strategy, yet the study clearly finds opportunities available to companies that embrace AI.
So how do enterprises adapt to ensure they stay competitive? Training and upskilling i.e. supporting employees to thrive in an AI-first environment, will be key to ensuring that industrial companies remain relevant. The study found that over half of the business leaders interviewed estimated that up to 60% of their employees will need new skills, with a third saying it could be as high as 100%.
A business model shift
While AI has captured attention for revolutionising productivity and creative tasks for predominantly white-collar workers, IFS contends that it is industrial AI that is fundamentally reshaping the way industrial enterprises run.
Sharma continued, “This is a bold new era where AI is redefining how industries create and deliver value. Industrial AI is moving into real-time, decision-grade intelligence embedded across the enterprise. It’s already securely automating the complex, predicting the unexpected and powering new service-led business models. This is about shifting from tasks to transformation and the organisations who embrace that shift will lead the next industrial chapter.”
IFS’s research signals a new stage of enterprise AI, no longer confined to innovation labs, but powering frontline operations. The next 12 months will be decisive as those organisations that close the AI Execution Gap now will shape the future of industrial leadership.
IFS Nexus Black applies deep domain expertise and industrial-grade AI to build production-ready products.
An Executive Summary of the study is available here.
Image credit: IFS
