Last month, I watched a friend try to assemble an IKEA Vittsjö coffee table using only the pictures on the box. No instructions. No Allen key. Just blind optimism and a Phillips head screwdriver. Three hours (and month’s worth of bad language) later and he was finished. It looked like a coffee table but was so wobbly I’d never trust it to hold an actual cup of coffee.
That’s what I was reminded of when I read The Register’s coverage of the GOV.UK‘s Copilot experiment. One thousand civil servants. Three months of testing. Zero measurable productivity gains. (read full article here)
But before you shout “I told you AI was a load of rubbish!” at your computer screen, let’s talk about what actually happened here.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Enterprise AI
The government handed out Microsoft Copilot licences at £18 per month per user and essentially crossed their fingers. No proper training. Random user selection. Minimal guidance on use cases. Then they measured productivity after just 63 working days and declared it unsuccessful.
It’s the enterprise software equivalent of my friend’s IKEA debacle, except with taxpayers’ money.
The results were predictably mixed. Copilot helped with basic tasks like meeting summaries and email drafts (though time savings were “extremely small”). But for Excel analysis, users were actually slower and produced worse results. PowerPoint slides took 7 minutes less to create but were so poor they needed correcting.
Most tellingly, only 30% of people used it daily. That’s an expensive digital paperweight for 70% of users.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Here’s the bit that should terrify every CTO: 22% of participants couldn’t identify AI hallucinations. They couldn’t tell when the machine was making things up. Yet they were using it for government work that affects real people. This is why our course ‘Critical Thinking For The AI Era’ led by Dr Eric Zackrison Ph. D. exists. We know this isn’t a skill people automatically have, it’s one that needs to be nurtured.
What’s pretty universally known though, is that most organisations choose Copilot because Microsoft is already embedded in every corner of their IT infrastructure. As Erik Schwartz, one of The Gen AI Academy experts, puts it:
“Microsoft is not known for their ability to innovate. Copilot is the Skype For Business of the 2020s.”
Most organisations choose Copilot because it’s easy and inbuilt, not because it’s good. It integrates with existing Microsoft systems. Procurement departments understand the vendor. IT departments don’t have to learn anything new.
Box ticked, invoice paid, problem “solved.”
But this creates a massive problem. When people’s first AI experience is disappointing, they write off the entire category. Those 1,000 civil servants probably think AI is overhyped nonsense now, which is a shame.
Learn From The Government’s Failings
The Gen AI Academy’s Change Management & Leadership expert Karrie Sullivan says:
“If an organisation is serious about measurable productivity from AI, they can either select users randomly but allow 2 years for adoption OR target early adopters who will identify impactful use cases in a few months.”
This study managed neither approach. The real lesson isn’t that AI doesn’t work. It’s that throwing expensive software at problems without thinking is like using a Ferrari as a garden shed.
Without proper training, clear use cases, and realistic timelines, you’re basically handing people an Allen key and expecting them to build a skyscraper.
Here’s How Our Team Of Experts Can Ensure Your AI Adoption Actually Succeeds
On Demand Courses
Learn at your own pace in your own time.
AI Unlocked with Dave Birss :Master the fundamentals of effective AI so you know how to use AI and when to use AI in any role.
Building Your Use Case Playbook with Hugo MC Pinto Identify exactly where AI adds value in your role and how to sell it throughout your organisation so it drives real change.
Our Workshops:
We customise every workshop to meet the specific needs of each organisation.
Making AI Work: Strategy To Impact – Becky McOwen-Banks MBA You’ll explore the current state of AI adoption, learn how to transform fear into opportunity, and master the steps of successful implementation. From task mapping to tool selection and advanced prompting, this workshop helps you build your own strategic AI philosophy.
AI: From Strategy To Action – Hugo Pinto Helps teams to start making real AI progress, real strategy, real roadmaps and real wins. Guided by one of Europe’s leading experts in practical AI application, you’ll learn exactly where Generative AI can add value to your work and where it can’t.
Unlock The Power Of AI – Dave Birss Helps your team stop dabbling with AI and start using it meaningfully. Led by popular GenAI expert and co-founder of The Gen AI Academy, Dave Birss, this session strips away the jargon and gives your people the tools to work smarter.
Final Thoughts
AI implementation isn’t a one-size-fits-all process, and there’s no magic black box you can plug in to instantly transform your business. Success takes time, thoughtful planning, and the right guidance.
No one is expected to have all the answers or get it perfect the first time, we’re still learning how to get this most value out of this technology. That’s why it makes sense to learn from those who have been testing, iterating, and refining their approach for years, and who are willing to share their hard-earned insights. By tapping into that expertise, you can shape your organisation’s future with greater confidence and clarity.
Helena McAleer is co-founder of The Gen AI Academy. She helps organisations implement AI without the chaos, confusion, or catastrophically expensive mistakes that make headlines.
