A new global survey shows that the corporate rush into artificial intelligence is beginning to pay off, with a majority of companies now reporting measurable returns from their AI deployments.
Data from Kyndryl’s 2025 Readiness Report, which gathered insights from 3,700 senior leaders across 21 countries, shows that 54% of organizations have reported positive returns on their AI investments, a 12-point increase from last year.
But the report notes that 62% of firms still haven’t moved their projects beyond the pilot stage, showing a persistent gap between innovation confidence and operational readiness.
Says Martin Schroeter, chairman and CEO of Kyndryl,
“A readiness gap exists as enterprises grapple with the promise of transformative value from AI. While 90% of organizations think they have the tools and processes to scale innovation, more than half are stalled by their tech stack, and less than a third say their employees are truly ready for AI. Closing that gap is the challenge and opportunity ahead.”
The survey shows that businesses are spending more aggressively to bridge that divide. AI budgets jumped 33% on average over the past year, with nearly seven in ten companies investing heavily in at least one AI application. Executives say the payoff window is tightening, as three in five leaders feel heightened pressure this year to deliver returns on investments from AI compared to 2024.
Looking at workforce readiness, the study finds that 87% of leaders expect AI to “completely” transform jobs within a year, but fewer than one in three believe employees are prepared to leverage the technology effectively.
Kyndryl also categorizes the most adaptive companies as “Pacesetters,” or organizations that combine innovation spending with culture and leadership alignment. These firms are 32 points less likely to cite their tech stack as a barrier and 20 points less likely to report a cyber-related outage in the past year.
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