Atea Digital Meetup: What the Future of Tech Needs Now

The challenge isn’t ambition, it’s turning AI into value

AI adoption is accelerating, but many organisations are still struggling to turn experimentation into real business value.

Atea’s CIO Analytics shows that Swedish organisations are becoming more mature in their use of AI, yet only 18% report having generated substantial value from it. Security requirements, regulatory uncertainty and challenges around data are among the barriers slowing progress.

The message? The ambition is there. The harder part is creating the conditions to actually implement and scale it.

The skills question is becoming impossible to ignore

Resources, skills and competencies emerged as major challenges for IT leaders — and as AI becomes part of more roles, upskilling and reskilling will only become more important.

But the conversation wasn’t simply about becoming an AI expert. When asked what people should learn to stay relevant, Maria highlighted something broader: the ability to keep learning and adapt as technology changes.

For organisations, that means investing not only in new talent but in the people already there.

Women want to stay in tech, but opportunity needs to keep up

The State of Women in Tech offers an important perspective on that talent challenge.

Almost nine in ten respondents give one of the two highest satisfaction ratings for working in tech, and fewer than four in 100 are actively looking to leave the industry altogether. At the same time, almost half are currently job hunting.
Women want to be part of the future of tech. The question is whether they are being given equal opportunities to build the skills, take on new roles and help shape that future.

AI transformation needs inclusive leadership

One of the strongest connections between the two reports was leadership.

Atea’s findings point to the changing role of IT leaders, with technology moving from a support function to a strategic driver of the business. At the same time, the State of Women in Tech identifies weak leadership and limited career development among the reasons women consider leaving the industry.

As AI moves into every part of an organisation, decisions about technology can no longer sit with IT alone. Leaders need to understand the technology, invest in their people and make sure different perspectives are included in the transformation.