2025 has been the year GenAI stopped being a talking point and became part of daily work across professional services and higher education. The hype settled. Reality arrived. And with that came clear lessons about what worked, what didn’t, and what leaders now need to focus on as we head into 2026.
This reflection brings together what we’ve seen across the sector, what clients have told us, and what the research shows. It paints an honest picture: progress has been impressive, but uneven. The organisations that moved fastest were the ones that paired ambition with structure. Those that hesitated are now playing catch-up.
1. The Big Adoption Curve: Fast and impossible to ignore
GenAI adoption surged across professional services this year. The number of firms actively using GenAI tools nearly doubled, rising from 12% in 2024 to 22% in 2025. Half of all UK professional service firms are now piloting or scoping GenAI, while globally across industries, 78% of companies reported using some form of AI in 2024, up from 55% just a year prior.
Higher education in particular, experienced a rapid integration of AI tools. 88% of students in a 2025 UK survey admitted to using generative AI for university assessments, a leap from 53% the year before. On an institutional level, 86% of education organisations now report using GenAI in some capacity, the highest adoption rate of any industry. Universities are updating academic integrity policies and rethinking assessments in response to this wave of AI usage, as traditional “no AI” stances prove impractical.
Public familiarity also played a role. More than half of UK adults tried GenAI tools in the last year, which inevitably spilled into the workplace.
This wasn’t an optional technology anymore. It became part of how work gets done.
2. What Held Organisations Back
Despite the progress, many organisations spent much of 2025 dealing with the same five blockers:
Data privacy and legal uncertainty
Strict regulations and client confidentiality requirements created caution, especially in law, finance, and education. Many leaders felt they couldn’t move until they answered the question: “Is this safe?”
Accuracy and trust
The risk of incorrect or biased outputs remained a central worry. Without safeguards, people simply didn’t trust GenAI for high-stakes work.
Skills and culture
Adopting GenAI requires new skills and change management. Many staff need retraining to use AI effectively yet there is anxiety about job displacement. A UK study warns up to 3 million low-skilled jobs could disappear by 2035 due to AI automation, and at least one major London law firm has already cut ~10% of its support staff after implementing AI tools. This climate can breed resistance and fear, even as AI also creates demand for new specialist roles.
Lack of internal guidance
Over half of professionals still work in organisations with no GenAI policy. Around 64% received no training. With no guardrails in place, people were left to figure things out alone.
These challenges reflect exactly what our AI Fast Lane programme was built to address: structure, safety, clarity, and practical steps that support confident adoption.
3. The Results That Made Leaders Take Notice
For all the challenges, the impact in 2025 has been hard to ignore.
- Time savings and efficiency gains: Lawyers saved four or more hours each week, with some firms reporting up to a 90% reduction in contract review time. Academics reduced drafting and prep work by 37%, giving them more time with students.
- Better quality and consistency: Tax and accounting firms used GenAI for checks and research, reducing missed details and improving accuracy. Legal teams leaned on AI to catch anomalies that humans often overlook.
- Improved client service: Clients now expect firms to use AI. Over 70% said they preferred working with providers using GenAI because it meant better speed, insight and value. This became a real differentiator in competitive pitches.
- New services and revenue: Many firms created new AI-powered offerings. Some productised AI-driven reviews. Consultants launched entire AI advisory services. A third of CEOs credited GenAI with improved productivity and profitability this year.
- Workforce augmentation, not replacement: Despite the headlines, most firms used GenAI to support people, not remove them. Nearly half of UK CEOs plan to grow their workforce alongside AI adoption. Universities saw staff using GenAI to create materials, manage admin, and support grading.
- Better learning outcomes: University report students using an AI study assistants improved exam scores. AI tutoring and support systems became normal, not novel.
This reflects what our own clients have achieved when combining strategy with secure implementation through our AI Fast Lane programme.
4. A Clear Shift in Expectations
2025 was the year the market started to reward AI-enabled organisations and leave others behind.
Clients expect AI.
57% of corporate clients now want their service providers to use AI. But 71% say they don’t know whether their supplier does, meaning firms aren’t communicating the value clearly.
Employees want AI that supports them, not overwhelms them.
Generative AI is now a selling point in professional services. A majority of corporate clients (about 57%) want the firms they hire to harness AI in delivering services, associating AI use with greater efficiency and innovation. Notably, many clients aren’t sure if their providers are using it e.g. 71% of law firm clients said they “don’t know” whether their firm uses AI, suggesting firms that are adopters should communicate this value.
Leaders see GenAI as a strategic shift, not a side project.
54% now believe GenAI will fundamentally change their business model. This is a dramatic rise from 39% just a year earlier.
5. What the Most Successful Organisations Did Differently
From our work across professional services, legal networks, universities and global enterprises, we saw a pattern. The most successful organisations:
1. Started with a clear strategy
They didn’t chase every shiny tool. They focused on use cases tied to business goals and built a roadmap.
2. Put safety and governance upfront
Policies, guardrails, data protection measures and training came first, not last.
3. Invested in their people
From hands-on workshops to one-to-one coaching, they brought staff with them. This avoided fear and built confidence.
4. Treated GenAI as a long-term capability
They invested in secure platforms that protect data, such as Kalisa, and avoided quick-fix tools that create risk.
5. Used pilots to build momentum
They started small, proved value fast, and then scaled.
This mirrors the Calls9 approach in the AI Fast Lane programme: audit, strategy, use cases, build, test, improve.
6. What 2025 Has Taught Us
If 2023 was the year of curiosity, and 2024 was the year of early trials, then 2025 became the year of structured adoption.
Three truths stand out:
- GenAI rewards clarity and discipline: The organisations that saw the biggest results were the ones that had the clearest plans.
- The gap between secure and insecure adoption widened: Using public tools without guidance has become a risk. The move towards secure, private, compliant platforms is now essential.
- AI became a competitive advantage: Firms that embraced AI are now outperforming those that waited. In many cases, they are reshaping their markets, not just keeping up with them.
7. Looking Ahead: What Leaders Should Focus on in 2026
As we move into the new year, the message is simple: it’s time to turn GenAI from scattered experiments into a secure, strategic capability.
Leaders should now focus on:
- Creating or refreshing their GenAI strategy
- Setting clear ROI measures
- Establishing or tightening their AI policy
- Training their workforce properly
- Moving towards secure platforms that protect their data
- Identifying use cases across client experience, employee experience and new business models
- Preparing for UK and EU regulatory changes
- Communicating their AI capability clearly to clients and partners
GenAI is no longer something to observe. It is something to own.
Final Thoughts
2025 has been a transformative year. Organisations finally started putting the foundations in place to use it safely, responsibly, and at scale.
And while this year brought clarity, 2026 will demand action.
If you want support in shaping your GenAI strategy, improving how your teams use AI, or building secure AI solutions, our AI Fast Lane programme is designed to help you move with confidence.
Let’s make 2026 the year your organisation turns AI ambition into real advantage.
