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AI and ROI: Open source will remain a key priority for 2025 and beyond
Dave McCann, Managing Partner of IBM Consulting EMEA, emphasises the key role open source has to play in the rise of enterprise AI in 2025
This article is part of our Opinions section, where we invite industry professionals to share their views on the most pressing technology questions of our time.
In 2025, we can expect enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) to enter a new stage of deployment. While new pilots and use cases will continue to emerge, earlier pilots are now maturing into full-scale enterprise applications. In doing so, businesses are beginning to get a clearer picture of their return on investment (ROI) and the extent of productivity and efficiency gains.
To gain a deeper insight into how companies are progressing their AI strategies, as well as their priorities for 2025, IBM and Morning Consult conducted a global study in cooperation with Lopez Research, surveying more than 2,400 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) worldwide. The results revealed that AI investment is rising globally, with companies prioritising long-term productivity and innovation over immediate financial returns.
Open source AI is also emerging as a significant priority for organisations in 2025. While open source AI has been part of the AI discussion for years, its impact on scalability and ROI is now being realised by companies as they advance their AI strategies. It enhances transparency, trust and innovation – and allows for the seamless integration with existing technology systems needed for long-term success.
Europe is betting on AI for the long term
Two years after the launch of ChatGPT and the resulting explosion of generative AI (gen AI) into the public discourse, gen AI is proving it is not a fleeting trend – in fact, its momentum shows no sign of slowing down.
Looking at the specific figures in EMEA, over half (53%) of ITDMs state that their companies are planning to increase AI investment this year, with a further 74% planning to start more than ten new AI pilots in 2025 – a 4% increase from 2024.
This increased investment demonstrates a long-term commitment to AI. While just 38% of EMEA ITDMs report positive ROI from AI investments so far, it is not deterring businesses. In fact, 40% of ITDMs in Europe stated AI investment was equally innovation-driven and ROI-driven, with just 5% reporting that their strategy was exclusively ROI-driven.
What this shows us is that AI success metrics are not limited to traditional financial savings; productivity time saved (22%) and faster software development (26%) were identified as the two most important success metrics by respondents. By reaping these early benefits, companies are confident that financial ROI will follow, with 70% of respondents anticipating positive ROI within two years.
Embracing the open source effect
In addition to new ways of measuring the value of AI, the results also indicate that open source plays a key role in accelerating AI progress. In EMEA, 32% of ITDMs state that over half of their company’s current AI solutions or platforms are based on open source. And we can expect this to rise over the next year, with 45% planning to increase use of open source AI in 2025.
Open source AI brings a host of benefits. On an industry level, an open infrastructure is paramount for driving responsible AI use. The focus on collaboration allows developers to build on each other’s contributions, democratise knowledge, and rectify bias and inaccuracies. This is achieved not only by the sharing of code but by the input of diverse data sets which optimise accuracy, reliability and outcomes. It is a critical building block for diversity and fairness within the sector, placing knowledge and progress in the hands of the many, not the few.
At an organisational level, open source AI accelerates adoption and scalability, boosting ROI. While closed AI systems have their place in some circumstances – for example, when managing highly sensitive data or for those organisations looking to monetise their AI products – they can also create barriers. The lack of transparency and explainability can inhibit trust and undermine confidence and buy-in from stakeholders and customers. It also increases friction when integrating existing technology systems – something that was highlighted by 42% of EMEA respondents in the survey as one of the key obstacles to implementing new AI pilots.
The increasing use of open source models also means that application platforms should integrate with a range of models across the technology ecosystem, allowing for greater interoperability and adapting to new AI developments quickly. These ecosystem integrations will make or break open source model growth in 2025.
As organisations across Europe prepare for the EU AI Act to come into effect next month, embracing open source AI aligns with the values of explainability and transparency underpinning the legislation. To support this open source approach, IBM has helped create the AI Alliance. With nearly 100 institutions involved in the alliance, the initiative aims to bring together developers and researchers in the open source community and promote collaboration and AI safety across the industry.
IBM is also a founding member of the Partnership on AI, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering collaboration across sectors to ensure AI benefits society responsibly. Through initiatives like the Inclusive Research and Design Program, the Partnership on AI provides practical tools to develop AI systems with communities, ensuring diverse perspectives shape solutions and promote trust and fairness across the industry.
Looking ahead
As we move into the next stage of AI deployment, companies are seeking enterprise-wide scalability to boost long-term ROI and productivity gains. For AI to gain this velocity and become ubiquitous, it must balance competition, innovation, and safety. Open source is a great way to achieve all three.
With our research revealing increasing AI investment across Europe, companies must look to maximise their returns through faster development, time savings, and long-term ROI. Open source AI will be an invaluable part of this mission, enabling organisations to harness the knowledge, expertise, collaboration and progress of the broader AI ecosystem.
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