Vasyl Grygoriev,
Lizard Soft CEO

We have just completed a major research project! We've analyzed more than 150 large-scale AI implementations across Europe. Our main question was why, despite the rapid development of AI, it has not yet taken off in half of the businesses.

Below, you will see specific results of specific studies conducted by reputable Organizations. You will see the top 10 most common reasons for Employee resistance to AI, according to our experience. And, probably most importantly, you will get the roadmap for transforming an indifferent or frightened Employee into a true Power User. This framework is based on our own experience of AI implementations in enterprise segments and change management approaches. This is our forte, because for six years now, we have been confirming the Adoption & Change Management Specialization at Microsoft. And behind this is the annual onboarding of more than 10 thousand new Users of various Microsoft stack products.

We are happy to share the results of our work with you. After all, in my opinion, it is important for us — ISVs, Integrators, and Customers — to grow together now.

Payback rate vs. adoption rate

Just look at the numbers:
Large-scale Microsoft RCT (2024): 6,000+ Respondents, 60 Companies surveyed:

• -11% average time spent processing emails, in some cases -20-25%.
• +10% of processed documentation, in some cases +25-30%.
• ~29% of active AI Users save >30 min/day.

Forrester Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft 365 Copilot (2025): 367 Respondents, 16 Decision-Makers in 12 Сompanies surveyed, who relied heavily on manual processes and traditional task-performance tools before implementing AI:

• ROI of 116% and NPV ≈ $19.7 million shown.
• Confirmed: significant reduction in routine per Employee (up to 9 hours/month), increased efficiency, faster decision-making.

And at the same time:
McKinsey: The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation: surveyed 1,993 Users who regularly apply AI in their work:

• 88% of Companies use AI, but 39% see EBIT impact.
• 62% of Businesses are experimenting with AI agents.
• Conclusion: most have not yet reached AI scaling.

So what went wrong — and when? 
We figured it out.

We have grouped all the reasons why initiatives do not take off in Businesses or do not give the expected result into 4 categories: Business, People, Technologies, Processes.

People: Resistance to innovation

Here's the good news: in our experience, there's not much open resistance. The other thing happens much more often: Employees just don't use AI tools, even if those are legitimately useful.

The most common reasons:
1. [Significant impact] «I wasn’t trained. »
In large Organizations, this is one of the strongest factors that kills the economic output of the implemented system.

2. [Significant impact] «Not sure what that’s for. »
Each Employee must understand both the importance of the initiative of the Company as a whole and what good AI would do for the particular Person with their particular tasks.

3. [Significant impact] «I've tried and been disappointed. »
The implementation of AI products, like the implementation of any tech tool, must have support from both your Team's IT Specialists and the Champions.

4. [Significant impact] Lack of time.
If your Employees are too busy to think, you shouldn't expect any initiative from them. The Employee must either have time to reflect and optimize their activities, or you must build new tools directly into their work routines.

5. [Indirect impact + open opposition] Layoff or role devaluation anxiety.
The AI won't replace any of you explanation doesn't completely relieve anxiety — people still see AI as a competitor. It is even worse when this idea is fueled by trade unions and turns into a political tool.

6. [Indirect impact] Lack of trust in the results generated by AI.
After a wave of reports about hallucinations of the AI, many distrust the result and stop relying on the tool.

7. [Indirect impact] Likely policy violations anxiety. 
It is not obvious that People avoid AI not only because of the risk of breaking the rules, but also due to uncertainty about what exactly is considered a violation.

We all know the difference between Early Adopters and Laggards. However, if even the Geeks in your Company ignore corporate AI, it’s often not about technology, but about implementation and change management.
But this (+ effective AI adoption methods) I’ll talk about in the next article, «How to Grow the Power User | Change Management Roadmap».