KPMG AI Quarterly Pulse Survey: What executives are saying now

Discover insights into the future of AI and its significant impact on business operations. The future of AI is here, and it’s reshaping how businesses function.

The KPMG AI Quarterly Pulse Survey provides a comprehensive snapshot of insights from 100 top-tier U.S.-based executives and business leaders, all from organizations boasting annual revenues of $1 billion or more. KPMG began conducting these quarterly surveys in January 2024 to monitor and evaluate changes in executive sentiment and business decision making, as AI rapidly evolves and expands in its impact on businesses and the economy more broadly. This most recent survey conducted was between February 25 – March 21, 2025.

The latest survey's participants predominantly held high-ranking positions, including Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs), and Managing Directors (MDs). Nearly half of the respondents were from organizations with a workforce exceeding 10,000 employees, representing a mix of both public and private enterprises.

	Leaders plan to invest nearly $114 million in GenAI over the next year, up sharply from $89 million last quarter.
	Organizations are rapidly accelerating from experimentation to piloting AI-agents – the latter is up from 37% to 65% since last quarter. However, those deploying agents remain flat at 11%.
	82% of leaders expect risk management to be the biggest challenge to their GenAI strategies for the remainder of 2025, followed by quality of organizational data (64%) and personal trust in the technology (35%).
	Productivity tool usage on a daily basis is up to 58% from 22%. Knowledge assistant usage on a weekly basis is up to 61% from 48% as is GenAI usage embedded into existing workflows, jumping from 24% to 35%.
	32% of leaders believe trust in the accuracy and fairness of AI outputs will now be the greatest society-wide challenge with AI between now and 2030.

Dive into our thinking:

AI Q1 2025 Pulse Survey: Key Findings

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Business growth and investment

As the influence of AI continues to grow, business leaders are increasingly recognizing its potential to enhance and transform their organizations.

We’re seeing a clear shift from pilots to scaled execution, with CIOs increasingly leading the charge. While that may seem like a natural decision given the scale of change in both technology and how it’s delivered – AI is also an enterprise transformation. It requires rewriting business processes, disrupting offerings, and driving cultural change. Leading organizations are creating space – often through a dedicated AI leader – to fully own that broader vision and protect the transformation from unnecessary risk.

Steve Chase

Vice Chair of AI and Digital Innovation, KPMG U.S.

AI agents

As advancements in technology continue to accelerate, leaders are charting a course to capitalize on innovative AI software functionalities.

Workforce and talent

Organizations are identifying and preparing for the anticipated challenges to their AI strategies.