Global AI Pulse: Q1 2026

Scaling AI value: Why capability is defining the next phase

AI investment is accelerating but enterprise value remains uneven. How organisations align operating models, governance and workforce readiness will define the next phase of advantage.

KPMG’s inaugural Global AI Pulse draws on insights from more than 2,100 senior leaders across 20 countries, territories and jurisdictions, to understand how organisations are navigating AI’s next phase. What’s emerging is not a question of ambition, but of capability. For many organisations, the challenge lies in orchestrating AI across the enterprise, integrating systems, aligning workflows and enabling coordinated execution at scale.

Key highlights

64% of organisations agree AI has been delivering meaningful business value.

74% are somewhat or greatly concerned about data security, privacy and risk.

68% report some confidence in their talent pipeline, but fewer than a quarter are very confident, with confidence rising sharply as AI maturity increases.

11% of respondents represent AI leaders. These are AI mature organisations that are scaling or operating agentic AI.

Organisations worldwide are signaling continued, significant AI investment over the next 12 months

Phase of the AI journey across organisations

Explore what executives are saying about orchestrating AI at scale

The Global AI Pulse: Q1 2026 report examines a critical shift underway, toward AI orchestration, offering early insight into how leading organisations are moving from fragmented AI use cases to orchestrated, enterprise-wide capability.

In the full report, you’ll discover:

The gap between AI investment and enterprise value, and why impact remains uneven across organisations
What leading organisations do differently, and how they are beginning to operationalise AI at scale
The shift from isolated use cases to coordinated, agent-driven systems across the enterprise
The role of governance and trust in enabling AI to scale responsibly
The workforce capabilities required to embed AI into day-to-day decision-making and execution
What it takes to orchestrate AI across systems, workflows, and functions to deliver repeatable, enterprise-level outcomes
The sector and regional realities of scaling AI

Read the press release

Global AI Pulse: Q1 2026 report

Discover how organisations move beyond AI deployment to orchestration, seamlessly integrating it into their operations.

Download the report

Executive summary

Learn what leading organisations are doing to effectively embed AI enterprise-wide.

Download the executive summary

About the research

The KPMG Global AI Pulse is a quarterly global study capturing the perspectives from 2,110 C-suite and business leaders representing organisations in 20 countries, territories and jurisdictions. The research looks at AI adoption, challenges, and impact, providing timely insights to help leaders track how AI is evolving across industries and regions.