AI transformation: beyond hype toward strategic value
Fujitsu / December 8, 2025
AI is everywhere. It is the new must-have feature, the thing every product suddenly needs in order to stay “innovative”. Add a chatbot here, automate a random process there, and suddenly you're the innovation hero of the week.
If this feels familiar, it’s because we’ve seen it before. Dot-com era folks remember when you could raise millions with just a domain name and a half-baked pitch. Most of those stories didn’t end too well.
The twist today? AI actually works - sometimes. But the hype is accelerating much faster than the discipline around it. Fujitsu’s recent research across 1,750 European tech leaders shows the same tension: confidence is at an all-time high, but governance and modernization often lag behind. That’s why I’ll give you some guidance as a starting point.
Confidence is high – reality checks are higher
Research into European tech leadership shows confidence levels high enough to light up an entire smart city. Around 85% of CIOs says IT is now strategic, which is awesome… until the board asks why your shiny “AI-powered invoicing tool” just hallucinated a refund the size of a national budget.
CIOs have become central players in innovation, cyber security, and business strategy. And yes, everyone wants to talk about AI. As one leader summed it up nicely: “We don’t want to be AI-led for the sake of it; we will deploy AI smartly.” In other words: stop deploying AI just to tick a box.
Governance before gadgets
Business teams are more tech-savvy than ever. Maybe a bit too savvy at times. Over 80% of CIOs now see their primary role as setting up guardrails (security, compliance, interoperability etc.) while still letting teams experiment.
It’s like giving your teenager car keys but secretly installing GPS, a speed limiter, and maybe a camera or two. Let them explore, sure, but not into oncoming traffic.
Fujitsu’s research echoes this: 84% of IT leaders believe their job is to enable experimentation while enforcing standards. Sharon Prior, a CIO interviewed in the study, put it perfectly: “The focus is on building empowering guardrails clear standards around security and compliance, but doing it in a way that’s transparent and flexible.” AI without governance isn’t innovation- it’s an audit waiting to happen.
Legacy systems that you can’t get rid of
Everybody wants to be “AI-enabled in 24 months”. But when 40–75% of IT budgets go to maintaining legacy systems, that timeline gets… optimistic.
Trying to do modern AI work on top of that is basically like trying to run a marathon while dragging a fridge. It might technically be possible, but you won’t enjoy it and nobody’s impressed.
Fujitsu’s survey shows 64% of tech leaders say legacy is holding back innovation, and 12% of large organizations spend 75% or more of their IT budget on old systems. Modernization isn’t optional, it’s the runway AI needs to take off. As Tony Mather, CIO at QinetiQ, says: “Getting the ‘run’ costs down means you can focus on things that will become value generators for the business.”
Partnerships - because you’re not iron man
Here’s another fun stat. Only 63% of CIOs think they have enough in-house talent to deliver their AI goals. The skills gap is a real thing, and pretending otherwise just slows everything down.
You will need partners - that part is unavoidable. The smart move is to pick ones who actually understand your industry and don’t disappear after putting a shiny “AI starter kit” on your desk. A partner who disappears after the first workshop is not a collaborator. That’s basically consulting Tinder and you just got swiped left.
Fujitsu’s research backs this up: 83% of IT leaders want technology-agnostic partners, and 84% believe unbiased consultants deliver better results. Partnerships aren’t a weakness. They’re the operating model of modern AI. Fujitsu works with hundreds of European enterprises to co-create solutions, from Agentic AI pilots to secure hybrid cloud architectures, ensuring innovation aligns with business goals - not just hype.
The bottom line: hype won’t win - discipline will
AI isn’t a new dot-com bubble. But it could become one if organizations chase hype over value. The winners will be those who:
- connect AI to actual business outcomes, not buzzwords
- get governance in place before regulators intervene
- modernize the legacy foundations instead of pretending it’s fine
- build strong ecosystems instead of trying to be iron man
Tech isn’t just an IT thing anymore. It’s everyone’s business. And the CIO? They’re the adult in the room, trying to keep people excited enough to innovate but sensible enough not to drive off a cliff.
The hype will fade. The real value will stay.
But only if we make the right choices now. As Fujitsu’s Martin Schulz warns: “The choices CIOs make now will determine future competitiveness - both for their companies and for the region as a whole.” Fujitsu calls this moment a breakthrough - and stands ready to help organizations seize the shift with consulting-led transformation and engineering excellence.
Toni Kuokkanen | LinkedIn
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