Neal Riley
Published on 10 October 2025
AI isn’t the problem—People are. Here’s why.
Teams are frustrated with AI adoption not because of the technology itself, but because trust and culture are hindering its real impact — a topic we'll explore at OxGen AI 2025.
Fresh off the plane from Atlassian Team '25 Barcelona. One thing's clear: everyone's frustrated.
You could hear it in every conversation.
Have we spent too much?
Have we spent enough?
Is it too late? Too early?
Where's the ROI?
Have we spent too much?
Have we spent enough?
Is it too late? Too early?
Where's the ROI?
Everyone is trying to get the most out of the AI investment they are making. No matter the size of the organisation or the industry, everyone is trying to maximise this emerging technological revolution. And they are struggling.
If GenAI is supposed to be the solution that saves every team, why do so many people feel stuck? There are:
Pilot projects that never scale.
Proof-of-concepts that never graduate to production.
Rollout plans with beautiful slide decks that don't see measurable impact.
Pilot projects that never scale.
Proof-of-concepts that never graduate to production.
Rollout plans with beautiful slide decks that don't see measurable impact.
The pressure to adopt AI has never been higher, and seemingly from the water cooler to the boardroom, everyone is worried that they will both miss out and misapply this technological innovation - and it is leading to frustrations across many different levels.
Next week at the Oxford Gen AI Summit (16–17 October), we'll be unpacking that frustration. I'll be on stage with Laura Gemmel (Taught by Humans) and Sven Peters (Atlassian) to ask the question everyone's quietly circling: why is adoption still so hard — and what can we actually do about it?
It's not the tech. It's the trust.
Our latest Digital Etiquette research says it plainly: technology isn’t the blocker — people are.
You. Me. Us.
We just don't know how to trust AI — yet.
- How do we use it to coordinate, not just automate?
- How do we measure progress without killing curiosity?
- How do we move from pilots to proof?
AI is testing more than our systems — it's testing our cultures.
The opportunity is still enormous, but only if we get the human side right.
The opportunity is still enormous, but only if we get the human side right.
At OxGen 2025, we'll dig into what separates the teams moving forward from those stuck in neutral — the ones turning AI talk into real traction. Expect honest conversation, shared lessons, and practical insight — not hype.