AI skills are catching up with data basics.
86 % of executives still call data literacy "essential" for daily work, but 69 % now say the same for AI literacy - a 7‑point jump in one year.
AI literacy has joined business intelligence at the top of 2025's fastest‑growing skill list, pushing data science into third place.
AI is already everywhere, but unevenly distributed
Only 9 % of leaders report zero AI use inside their organizations.
Usage frequency is high: 82 % tap AI at least weekly, 39 % daily.
Technical teams lead adoption; the biggest white‑space sits in non‑technical functions like marketing, operations, sales, and finance.
Upskilling programs are maturing - fast
46 % of firms now run organization‑wide data‑literacy programs (up from 35 % in 2024).
43 % provide mature AI‑upskilling (nearly double last year's 25 %).
Yet barriers persist: budget constraints, employee resistance, thin executive sponsorship, and fuzzy ROI metrics.
Five evidence‑backed playbooks for success
Link learning to business outcomes – tie courses to KPIs (e.g., automated reporting cycle‑time).
Treat training as change management – launch like a product with champions & storytelling.
Prioritize hands‑on learning – simulated business tasks beat passive video.
Blend data & AI into one continuum – AI fluency rests on data fluency.
Personalize at scale – build role personas (finance vs. engineering) to keep content relevant.
Decision‑science edge: With AI usage already mainstream and literacy gaps narrowing, competitive advantage shifts to how well models are integrated into everyday workflows.
Talent strategy: The rapid rise in mature programs signals a hotter market for T‑shaped analysts who pair OR skills with prompt engineering & data storytelling.
Research & practice: Rich adoption data (frequency, function gaps) offers fertile ground for studying ROI, optimal training cadences, and socio‑technical resistance patterns.
Bottom line: 2025 is the inflection point where AI literacy moves from "nice to have" to table‑stakes. OR & analytics leaders who embed these lessons into workforce strategy will steer their organizations - and the profession - toward faster, smarter, and more responsible decision‑making.