It is a year of potential, as recent announcements in the fields of AI promise to deliver more capabilities, like with the US’ ‘Stargate AI’, or through democratising the technology with lower costs as seen with DeepSeek.
Yet, it’s not all smooth sailing. US announcements on tariffs, whilst not directly linked, could cause a squeeze on cash flow of companies and see them have to tighten their belts to tackle the challenges ahead.
Yet before all these specifics that rocked potential strategies, we asked our UC All-Stars what they thought would be their biggest challenge in 2025.
In an interesting twist of events, the same group that voted AI The ‘Impact Technology’ For 2025, also largely felt that AI would be their biggest challenge in 2025.
The AI Imperative
Much like last year, AI continues to be the dominant force shaping the UC landscape and our survey’s perception of where it is heading.
However, this time around, the conversation is shifting from its potential to the complexities of integrating it effectively within enterprises.
This is mostly due to the new regulations that followed AI in the latter half of last year.
Jamie Hughes, Sales Director at EvolveIP, pointed out a significant challenge:
“The regulatory landscape continues to present challenges to AI adoption.”
As governments and industries introduce new guidelines, enterprises must ensure compliance while leveraging AI for efficiency and growth.
This can sometimes come in the form of in-built guardrails with AI systems in UC solutions or through assessments and configurations released as a way companies can manage their compliance.
For many, the main challenge is finding a way to stick to this compliance whilst still deriving value from AI.
As Melody Brue, VP & Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, explains that the 2025 challenge for her is:
“Advising on the right timing/balance of AI integration.”
Companies must evaluate when and where AI can provide the most value without unnecessary complexity.
Equally, with this being described as an ‘AI Race’, speed of rollout is something proving poignant in the survey.
Ilya Bukshteyn, VP at Microsoft Teams Calling, Devices, and Premium SMB, underscored the urgency of AI development:
“Delivering AI innovation as rapidly as possible.”
With the rapid evolution of AI tools, staying ahead requires a delicate balance between speed and strategic deployment.
Finding the Right Solution
With all the buzz surrounding AI, many of our respondents reported that just cutting through the noise is a significant challenge.
Craig Durr, Founder and Chief Analyst at The Collab Collective, said this is his biggest concern:
“Our biggest challenge will be helping our clients and audience navigate the overwhelming noise surrounding AI.”
Mrinal Rai, Assistant Director and Principal Analyst at Information Services Group (ISG), summed up a process of looking beyond the hype:
“The biggest challenge would be to look beyond the hype, possibilities and excitement with AI tech development and analyse the actual and achievable business outcomes to provide actionable guidance to clients.”
Irwin Lazar, President and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, also highlighted a key challenge, that within this noise, understanding how best to implement AI is a sticking point:
“Figuring out how best to leverage Generative AI for collaboration and communications.”
Doug Schaefer, Chief Technology Officer at American Sound, reiterates this sentiment:
“I think finding reliable, practical applications for AI in everyday workflows is always an ongoing challenge because it requires you to think completely differently about how you do things that you’ve been doing constantly for years.”
The Education Gap
Beyond regulation and noise, another recurring topic among those surveyed was education.
Andrés Mariano Gorzelany, Modern Workplace Consultant, Summitize Deutschland, wants this to better understand customers:
“Understand how AI will help my customers to be more productive and how can AI impact UC.”
Neil Fluester, Director of Technical Marketing at Crestron, however, believes one of the biggest challenges is for everyone in the process, noting:
“Educating customers and partners in an ever-intensifying AI-driven world.”
Misinformation and misunderstanding about AI’s capabilities can create hesitancy, can make users fall foul of compliance and be deafened by the noise of the actual real business value derived from AI.
Looking Ahead
As AI becomes an intrinsic part of UC, enterprises will need to navigate a landscape where regulatory compliance, strategic deployment, and education play pivotal roles.
The challenge is no longer just about being open to AI and understanding it—it’s now about finding ways to implement it and make it work effectively.
Those who can strike the right balance between innovation and pragmatism will be well-positioned to lead in this race to adopt the technology.
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