In 2025, the buzz around AI’s transformative potential increased exponentially. However as the year progressed, many leadership teams found themselves in a state of “AI paralysis,” where they recognize AI's promise but are unsure how to incorporate it into their people and growth strategies. In our recent Trend Brief: How AI Is (And Isn’t) Reshaping Consumer Brand Teams, which surveyed hundreds of consumer brand leaders, we discovered that only 11% of companies made tangible, AI-driven organizational changes, even though nearly half expect to do so eventually.
Uncertainty is a major reason many leaders haven’t yet acted to integrate AI into their organizational structures. As Harvard Business Review notes, AI is creating concerns around workplace disruption. Leaders aren’t resisting AI; they’re unclear on how it should reshape teams, roles, and strategy. That ambiguity has consequences: our data indicates that AI is increasingly cited as a factor contributing to hiring delays.
This hesitation isn’t isolated; it reflects a pattern identified across industries. MIT Sloan found that many executives are slower to act than their teams expect. In part, this pause may stem from fear, as Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that 43% of leaders worry about being displaced by AI. Yet that same study revealed a critical insight: real progress happens when leaders champion adoption and foster alignment, which, in turn, significantly boosts employee confidence and engagement.
Still, the “wait-and-see” approach to AI might feel like the safest path forward. In reality, it undermines both growth and competitive advantage. As our brief states, “leaders don’t yet understand how AI will reshape roles or how to organize teams around it. So hiring slows down. Development pauses. And indecision becomes the default response.” In other words, waiting for perfect clarity means losing precious ground.
External research reinforces this pattern of paralysis. Bloomberg reports widespread uneven AI adoption across the private sector, causing a growing fear of falling behind more tech-savvy competitors. Bain & Company adds that even when companies do take action, many AI pilots lose momentum before delivering impact due to executive hesitation. And McKinsey goes further, warning that C-suite misalignment on AI strategy has become a primary bottleneck to growth.
The implications for talent are significant. When key roles stay unfilled and direction is unclear, morale drops, and goals become hazy. The takeaway: strong leadership and decisive action can be the key to calming uncertainty, whereas prolonged hesitation only amplifies it.
How have consumer brand teams broken free from this paralysis and moved toward AI readiness? It starts by reframing AI as a team opportunity. Instead of delaying hiring until leadership develops the perfect “AI plan,” consider how tasks and roles can evolve with new technologies to start reidentifying the key skills and strengths needed for the next phase of growth.
What does that look like in action?
The good news is you don’t have to face this transition alone. This is where a consultative partner like ForceBrands can assist consumer brands in moving from AI paralysis to AI empowerment. Our 2025 Trend Brief: How AI Is (And Isn’t) Reshaping Consumer Brand Teams provides a data-driven view of how industry leaders are adapting, includes self-assessment prompts to evaluate your own AI readiness, and offers actionable steps to bridge the gap. This report is an excellent resource to spark ideas as you learn and share your expanding knowledge with stakeholders.
Beyond gaining insights, consider leveraging specialized external support to accelerate your progress. ForceBrands helps high-growth brands accelerate their people strategy with advisory frameworks designed for this moment:
AI isn’t the future; it’s already here. Don’t let hesitation become your default. Start small. Assess where your organization stands, partner with others or use tools to speed up learning, and prioritize talent strategy as much as technology.
Shift the mindset first, then move with intention. Your team is ready to grow. Make sure your org structure is, too.
Download the 2025 Trend Brief: How AI Is (And Isn’t) Reshaping Consumer Brand Teams to begin mapping your AI-readiness strategy today.