Artificial intelligence is solidifying as one of the main engines of business investment heading into 2027. According to LiceoTIC’s forecasts, 46% of companies will place this technology as their top priority next year, in a context marked by rising technology costs, process automation, and the need to adapt workers’ skills. However, large-scale deployment remains one of the major challenges for organizations.
AI has ceased to be an experimental technology and has become a central element of corporate digitalization strategies. More and more companies are looking to harness its possibilities to improve productivity, reduce costs, and automate tasks, although a significant gap remains between expectations and its real application in business processes.
These findings from LiceoTIC reflect that 46% of companies will have AI as their main technological priority in 2027. The forecasts are part of their IT budgets report, presented on the occasion of the 5th LiceoTIC Congress, held at the World Trade Center in Barcelona.
The analysis also anticipates a 6% increase in corporate technology spending, above the initially projected rise of 4%. This difference is driven, among other factors, by rising software license costs and growing cybersecurity needs.
For small and medium-sized businesses, this evolution presents a significant challenge: adopting new technologies that boost competitiveness without losing control over operating costs.
AI promises to cut costs, but deployment remains limited
One of AI’s main attractions for businesses is its ability to automate processes and free employees from certain repetitive tasks.
According to LiceoTIC’s study on the technology talent market, 81% of CIOs consider AI to be the primary path to corporate savings over the next three years. Yet only 6% of organizations have managed to deploy this technology at scale.
This gap shows that, although interest in AI is growing, many companies are still in early experimentation stages or developing projects limited to specific departments.
The challenge is no longer merely about adopting tools such as smart assistants or content-generation applications, but about getting these technologies integrated into the organization’s everyday processes.
In the case of SMBs, this can translate into concrete applications such as automating administrative tasks, classifying documents, analyzing commercial information, customer service, or preparing financial reports.
The key is to identify those activities where artificial intelligence can deliver measurable improvements and avoid investments that do not address a real business need.
Automation will also change workers’ roles
The expansion of artificial intelligence is not only transforming technology investment decisions. It is also starting to reshape the internal organization of companies and the skills their professionals need.
Activities such as data analysis, documentation, certain support tasks, or software development are undergoing significant changes thanks to automation tools.
This evolution can also affect hiring. A Gartner study published in July found that 22% of HR leaders say at least one executive in their organization has stopped hiring entry-level profiles due to AI-driven automation.
However, the challenge for companies should not be limited to replacing manual tasks with automated processes. It also requires redefining roles and preparing workers to take on new responsibilities.
Monitoring AI systems, the ability to interpret their results, critical thinking, and problem-solving will be increasingly relevant skills.
For SMBs, where workers often wear multiple hats, this transformation can represent an opportunity to boost productivity without proportionally expanding teams. Nevertheless, it will also require investing in training and ensuring employees understand the possibilities and limitations of these tools.
