CMI launches AI leadership courses as managers struggle to turn investment into gains
The Chartered Management Institute has launched a new suite of AI leadership qualifications after research revealed a significant gap between what UK organisations spend on AI tools and what they actually gain from them.
A CMI survey of 1,019 managers found only 5% had seen transformational productivity gains from AI. Some 26% reported no gains at all, while most described improvements as modest and confined to specific areas.
The problem runs deeper than tool selection. Just 12% of managers feel very confident leading AI adoption, and 38% lack the training to make it work. Confidence drops further with more advanced systems: only 10% feel confident using agentic AI, and 8% said the same of predictive or analytical AI.
The courses address three management levels
Developed with TechSkills, the new qualifications target managers from frontline roles to senior executives. Each level focuses on different priorities.
- Level 3, Managing AI Adoption: For junior and frontline managers. Covers team readiness, basic AI literacy and reducing unsanctioned use of AI tools.
- Level 5, Leading AI Transformation: For operational and departmental leaders. Focuses on measuring return on investment, fitting AI into existing workflows and managing processes where people continue to oversee outputs.
- Strategic Leadership of AI: For executives and directors. Addresses governance, ethics, long-term planning, organisational risk and compliance.
The courses cover AI literacy, cybersecurity, data and leadership across all levels.
Senior leadership understanding lags behind
The survey identified a specific concern at the top. Only 18% of managers strongly believed senior leaders fully understand the benefits AI can deliver. Fewer than one in ten said leadership is actively tracking return on investment from AI.
Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said many businesses had moved quickly to buy AI tools without preparing managers to use them. "The sad truth is that untrained managers are holding back Britain's AI boom. Businesses have moved quickly to invest in AI, but many are now finding that getting it in the door is the easy part, while making it actually deliver is much harder and comes down to how organisations are led."
Managers recognise the need for training
Support for stronger training is broad. Some 85% of managers said employee performance would improve with better understanding of how to manage AI. Eighty-one percent said the same for their own performance.
Lorna Willis, Chief Executive of TechSkills, said AI is redefining leadership itself. "AI is not just reshaping what organisations do, and how they do it, it is redefining who leads within them. Leadership is no longer tied to title or tenure, it is becoming a capability expected at every level."
Willis argued that technical skills alone are insufficient. "The qualities that matter most are deeply human: clarity, calm, curiosity, the confidence to challenge and question, and the ability to communicate with purpose and conviction."
Industry backs the focus on management quality
Dr Nicola Hodson, chair of IBM UK and Ireland, said management quality will determine whether AI spending delivers results. "Essential skills for managers and leaders today go beyond simply understanding how to use AI, they include using it responsibly, recognising the ethical implications, ensuring decisions remain fair and unbiased, and creating opportunities for employees to get hands-on experience with the technology."
Jacky Wright, former chief technology and platform officer at McKinsey, linked successful AI adoption to leadership and culture as much as software deployment. "Without strong, informed leadership, AI risks being underutilised or delivering uneven results. To truly unlock AI's potential, leaders need the strategic foresight to know where AI creates value and the ability to bring people along to new ways of working."
For managers looking to develop these skills, AI for Management and AI Productivity Courses offer targeted training aligned with these priorities.
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