Is your organisation investing in AI faster than it is investing in people?

In that case, the main issue in your digital transformation is already present even if it has not become apparent to you yet.
The statistics from all over Europe convey a strong message: the rate of AI adoption is such that organizations’ capabilities and workforce readiness are still far behind. The OECD’s 2025 “Bridging the AI Skills Gap” report reveals that AI usage in businesses has gone up steeply, but only a mere 0.3% to 5.5% of educational programs have even a bit of AI content and 80% of such programs are meant for technical experts, not managers, frontline staff, or decision-makers [1]. Thus, the majority of workers in AI-using companies are anticipated to handle new systems without adequate literacy, context, or risk awareness.

The Dutch Paradox: High Adoption, Low Preparedness

The Hopes & Fears 2024 survey conducted by PwC in the Netherlands has brought to light a significant cultural aspect: The employees of the Netherlands show a very high level of job satisfaction in Europe, but at the same time, they are reporting the lowest level of support for the generative AI adoption [2]. The majority think their skills are not fully used or acknowledged; thus, a peculiar ambiance is made where AI is not welcomed as a new thing but rather treated with fear. This is a scenario that should be avoided as resistance does not show on the dashboards; it materializes early, silently, and through the behavior of people:

• Hesitation to use AI tools

• Declining trust in leadership

• Increased risk of “shadow adoption”

• Reduced psychological safety

• Preference for employers offering clearer upskilling pathways

Deloitte’s European Digital Workforce Trends report, published in parallel, reveals the fact that 43% of the employees are afraid to lose their position in an AI-driven organization due to their lack of skills introduction, while only 17% admit receiving structured AI training from their company [3].

The Research Is Clear: AI Without Skills Amplifies Organisational Risk

An increasing amount of scholarly proof suggests that not developing AI skills within a company will result in lower organisational performance, a decrease in the usage of AI technology, and a higher risk exposure. In fact, AI projects are only successful if the employees know how the AI output is produced and how to interpret it properly [4].

Skill imbalance, where only a small top-notch group comprehends AI, leads to the slowing down of processes and diminishes the company’s flexibility in times of crisis [5]. Companies that have a lot of AI literacy are able to keep their productivity gains, decision accuracy, and innovation capacity many times stronger than those that have a poor literacy, even when the same technology is used [6]. This is to say that the differentiating factor is not the model, the algorithm, or even the financial resources at the disposal. What makes the difference is the workforce capability and the leadership’s readiness.

For Dutch Boards, This Is Now a Governance Issue—Not an HR Project

Under the EU AI Act, companies must demonstrate that artificial intelligence (AI) is used in a safe, clear, and well-supervised manner under the EU AI Act. This necessitates:

• Organisation-wide AI literacy

• Clear role-based skills

• Documented training

• Demonstrable human control mechanisms

This shifts the skills gap from a “learning & development challenge” to a strategic and compliance-critical risk.

What Forward-Looking Dutch Leaders Are Now Doing

The Netherlands’ most AI-progressive organisations are not making tool purchases in larger quantities. Instead, they are shaping their cultures to be multi-functional with AI through: AI literacy minimum standards for each position, AI governance and decision-making, leadership training, Ethical AI training for the entire workforce, Career advancements that acknowledge AI-skilled individuals, Joint venture between Business + HR + IT, + Risk departments for skills transformation ownership

And this is where Centralink comes in

At Centralink, we assist organizations in creating realistic, strategically aligned AI capabilities frameworks, assessing their existing skill levels, and formulating adoption pathways that foster trust, competence, and resilience.

If you would like to minimize your AI risk exposure and transform your employees into an asset instead of a limiting factor, please schedule a consultation today.

Where does your organisation stand today:
Are your people prepared for the AI-powered organisation you aim to become?

References

[1] OECD. (2025). Bridging the AI Skills Gap: Is Training Keeping Up? OECD Publishing.
[2] PwC Netherlands. (2024). Hopes & Fears Survey 2024 – Dutch Results. PwC Research.
[3] Deloitte. (2024). European Workforce and Technology Trends 2024. Deloitte Insights.
[4] Rai, A. (2020). Explainable AI: From black box to glass box. MIS Quarterly, 44(3), 1–12.
[5] Chuang, S. (2024). Machine learning and AI technology-induced skill gaps and workforce transitions. Journal of Work-Applied Management.
[6] Brynjolfsson, E., Li, Y., & Raymond, L. (2023). Productivity effects of generative AI in the workplace. NBER Working Paper Series.