Industry voice: Why Gen AI demands a radical workplace rethink
IT leaders are asking: Can my infrastructure support our gen AI ambitions?
Generative AI (Gen AI) has the potential to reshape the workplace—automating routine tasks, boosting productivity, and enabling more creative and strategic work. In Europe, as in other regions, IT leaders are increasingly aware of this shift. But with opportunity comes a tough and urgent question: is their existing IT infrastructure ready to support the demands of Gen AI?
This challenge emerged clearly in Lenovo’s recent Reinventing Workplace Productivity report, part of our Work Reborn Research Series 2025.
We surveyed 600 IT leaders—including 150 in Europe—and uncovered a growing gap between the promise of Gen AI and the practical limitations of current workplace technology.
Optimism is high, with 89% of IT leaders expecting Gen AI to improve creativity and collaboration, 81% stating it will enhance productivity, and three-quarters that it will free employees for more meaningful, strategic work.
They also recognise broader benefits. AI-powered tools offer real-time translations and virtual co-authoring, enabling seamless teamwork across geographically and culturally diverse teams. By automating repetitive tasks, Gen AI allows people to focus on higher-value activities like problem-solving and innovation. AI-generated insights can also streamline workflows and improve operational efficiency.
Infrastructure Lags Behind AI Ambition
Despite the enthusiasm, the day-to-day reality is more complex. Fewer than half of IT leaders believe their current tools support productivity, engagement, and innovation. Many say their organisations are held back by outdated devices, rigid security frameworks, and systems that can’t adapt to individual user needs—all of which limit the potential of Gen AI.
Security also emerged as a particular concern. Legacy systems often struggle to balance strong protection with the flexibility needed to combat modern threats. Gen AI, by contrast, thrives in dynamic, responsive environments that can evolve with shifting compliance and security demands.
Improving the employee experience is the number one objective for nearly half of the IT leaders surveyed. Gen AI can help companies achieve this goal by delivering tailored digital experiences and streamlining technical support, but only if the core infrastructure is modern and flexible enough to support it.
A striking 87% of European IT leaders agreed that a complete overhaul of workplace technology is required to fully realise AI’s potential. They recognised that short-term patches or bolting AI onto legacy systems simply won’t work, and their existing IT infrastructure will need a radical overhaul from the ground up, ensuring the new infrastructure is agile, resilient, and purpose-built for continuous evolution.
Why Gen AI Demands a Computing Overhaul
To move forward, it’s clear organisations must stop viewing Gen AI as a plug-in and start treating it as a catalyst for deep transformation.
That means redesigning systems at an architectural level and building adaptive, proactive, and user-aware environments. This includes systems that self-configure based on user preferences, AI-powered IT support that predicts and resolves issues and workflows that continuously adapt to changing business needs.
A truly intelligent digital workplace is possible, but only through strategic investment and leadership focus.
In my view, for businesses to realise the full potential of Gen AI, IT leaders should focus on three main priorities:
1. Simplify and Personalise the Employee Experience
Tailor tools, workflows, and digital environments to each employee’s role, needs, and working style using persona-based configuration. Reduce disruptions with Gen AI-powered IT support that adapts in real time.
2. Automate IT Processes with Gen AI
Use automation to manage devices, predict and resolve issues, and meet diverse support needs, freeing up IT teams to focus on strategic work.
3. Transform Workflows for Value Creation
Re-engineer existing processes to fully leverage Gen AI, enhancing how the organisation creates value and strengthening its competitive edge. Equip employees with the skills and motivation needed to embrace change and innovate.
Gen AI is already reshaping how work gets done. For European IT leaders, there is an urgency to bridge the gap between Gen AI's potential and their current IT infrastructure. They will need to work with the executive teams and ensure their digital workplace strategy aligns with the business goals.
They will also need to stress that the only way for Gen AI to deliver on its promise is if organisations have the right digital foundation to support it.
The businesses that lead in the Gen AI era will be those bold enough to invest and modernise now, rethink work from first principles, and integrate AI into the very core of how their operations run.
The question for European IT leaders isn’t, “Are we building for today?” It’s “Are we bold enough to completely reimagine work from the ground up?
To learn more, read Reinventing Workplace Productivity, the first report in the new Lenovo Work Reborn Research Series 2025. More reports will be published throughout this year. Find further insights at Work Reborn —A Lenovo Research Series | Lenovo US.
This article is sponsored by Lenovo.