KPMG AI Quarterly Pulse Survey

Executive Insights:

As organizations move beyond acceptance of AI value, enterprise-wide execution is the new imperative

AI investment continues to accelerate, with organizations projecting an average spend of $207 million in the coming year—nearly double the forecast from twelve months ago. Yet as capital flows in, the critical imperative is no longer about securing funding or proving AI’s value, but about executing at scale. This report sheds light on the rate of AI adoption, how to increase ROI as investments scale, the increasing focus on human oversight of AI agents, and ways to ensure trust and risk mitigation are embedded in your AI strategy.

How much has AI adoption increased?

Two years ago, most organizations were experimenting with AI agents, with adoption limited to only 11% of companies and the primary focus on pilot programs. By mid-2024, the number of organizations implementing AI agents grew threefold to 33%. Now, more than half (54%) of organizations have integrated AI agents into their operations, with competitive advantage hinging on the ability to effectively reengineer processes, empower the workforce, and manage risk. 

How can you realize ROI as you increase your AI investments?

While 79% of leaders confirm AI will remain a top investment priority even amid economic uncertainty, realizing return on that investment through scaling of use cases is proving more difficult (according to 65% of survey respondents, up from 33% last quarter). However, with 54% of organizations now actively deploying AI agents, the next step is for the technology to be embedded into day-to-day operations. Already, 73% of respondents report using AI to automate workflows across multiple functions, and 53% say they are using AI to route critical information between teams. Clearly, organizations recognize the need to integrate AI into their main operations or their investments may fall short of delivering value across the enterprise.

To what degree does AI success hinge on the “human in the loop”?

As organizations deepen their AI experience, a clearer, more effective operating model is taking shape—one that is AI-enabled but led by humans. The majority of leaders (57%) now believe people should manage and direct AI agents. However, given concern over employee skill gaps as a barrier to ROI (as reported by 62% of respondents vs. 25% last quarter), upskilling the current workforce has emerged as a key priority for 87% of leaders. And for entry-level employees, the most sought-after skills are adaptability and continuous learning, according to 83% of leaders surveyed -- a major shift from the previous focus on technical programming skills.

As AI scales, how can you ensure trust and risk mitigation are at the forefront?

With AI moving into the core of business operations, governance has been elevated and is considered integral to scaling responsibly and earning stakeholder trust. From a focus on ethical standards, frequent audits, and robust monitoring in the early days of AI governance, leaders are now stressing the importance of data protection, privacy, and risk management in shaping AI strategies (according to 91% of leaders). Requiring human review of agentic output is reported by 63% of leaders, and 47% are collaborating with established, reliable technology partners to develop their AI solutions.