2026人工智能现状报告迈向投资回报之路

ThestateofAIin2026

OntheroadtoROI

August2026

Organizationsaredeployingagenticcodingtoolsand

comingtogripswiththecostsofAIwhilestillseekingto

capturemoreofthebenefits

thattheirworkersarederivingfromtheirindividualuseofAI.

byDanTinkoff,LievenVanderVeken,andMichaelChui,withTaraBalakrishnan

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI2

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI3

Keytakeaways

—UseofagenticAIisincreasing,mostlyaccountedforbylargeenterprises.Forty

percentofrespondentsfromlargeorganizations(thosewithannualrevenuesofmorethan$1billion)reportscalingAIagents,upfrom27percentlastyear.Theshareofrespondentsfromsmallerorganizationsreportingscalingremainedflatat22percent.

—Manyorganizationsarealreadyscalingsoftwarecodingagents.Abouttwointenarescalingthem(31percentatlargerenterprises).

—Organizationsareusingagenticcodingtoolstobuildsoftwarein-houseinlieuof

purchasingit.Nearlyathirdofrespondents(32percent)reportthattheirorganizationshavedecidedagainstbuyingoneormoresoftwareproductsorfeaturesbecausetheycouldbebuiltinternallywithagenticcodingtools.

—ThecostofAIisconstrainingusageinsomeorganizations.About20percentof

respondentsreportthatAI-relatedoperatingcosts(includingtokencosts)constrainedtheirAIuse.ButthemajorityplantoincreasetheirAIinvestments.

—Theshareofrespondentsreportingenterprise-levelfinancialimpactfromAIuse

hasnotchangedsincelastyear.Thirty-sevenpercentofrespondentsattributeatleastsomeEBITimpacttoAIuse(aboutthesameshareaslastyear).Andtheproportionof

AIhighperformers(thosewhoattributeatleast5percentofEBITtotheiruseofAIand

describethetechnology’simpactas“significant”)hasremainedflatatabout6percentofallrespondents.

—However,AIuseisboostingtheperformanceofindividualsatwork.EightypercentofrespondentsreportthatAIhasimprovedtheirindividualproductivity,and50percentreportthatAIhelpsthemmakebetterdecisions.

—RespondentsincreasinglyexpectAItosparkworkforcedeclines.Thirty-ninepercent

ofrespondentsexpectAI-relateddeclinesintheirorganizations’totalemploymentinthe

comingyear,comparedwith32percentlastyear.(Forty-threepercentexpectnoAI-relatedchange.)Buttheshareexpectingworkforcedeclinesinlastyear’ssurveywasaboutdoublethesharenowreportingactualdeclinesoverthepastyear.

N

earlyadecadeintoMcKinsey’ssurveyresearchoncompanies’useofAI,organizationsaredeepeningtheiruseofthesetechnologies.Thelatest

McKinseyGlobalSurvey

onthestateofAIfindsthatorganizationsarescalingAIacrosstheenterprise,

deployingitinmorebusinessfunctions,andusingarangeoftools—fromchatbotsandsoftwarecodingagentstoagenticsystemscapableofactingautonomouslyacrossworkflows.

Andindividualemployeesarereportingrealimpact:EightintenrespondentssayAIhasimprovedtheirownproductivity.

However,enterprise-levelfinancialimpacthasn’tfollowedthesametrajectory.TheshareofrespondentsreportingthatAIhascontributedtotheirorganizations’EBITisessentiallyunchangedfromayearago,at37percent.

ThesurveyalsofindsthatAI-relatedoperatingcostsarebeginningtoconstrainAIuseforaboutoneinfiveorganizations,evenasmostrespondentsexpecttheirorganizationstoincreaseAI

investmentsintheyearahead.Nearlyathirdoforganizationsreportdecidingagainstpurchasingatleastonesoftwareproductorfeaturebecausetheycannowbuildthemin-houseusing

agenticcodingtools,whichcouldbeasignthatAIisbeginningtoreshapehowtechnology

budgetsareallocated.Meanwhile,workforceexpectationscontinuetoshift:Alargershareof

respondentsthanin2025anticipatesAI-relateddeclinesintheirorganizations’totalheadcountoverthecomingyear.Reportedreductionsoverthepastyear,however,fellwellshortofwhat

respondentsinlastyear’ssurveyhadanticipated.

Theexperienceofasmallgroupofhighperformerspointstoapathforward.TheseorganizationsaredistinguishedbyhowandtowhatextenttheydeployAI.Highperformerspursuegrowth

and/orinnovationalongsideefficiency;theyfundamentallyredesignworkflowsthatareenabledbyAIratherthaninsertAIintoexistingones;andtheybacktheirdeploymentswiththeleadershipcommitmentandoperationalrigorneededtoachieverealgains.Indoingso,theyofferalessonforthemajorityoforganizationsstilllookingtomovefromindividualproductivitytofinancialimpact.

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI4

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI5

UseofAIisdeepeningasorganizationsmovebeyondexperimentation,with

largeenterprisesleadingtheway

OrganizationscontinuetomovebeyondAIexperimentation.Nearlynineintenrespondents

reportregularuseofAIinatleastonebusinessfunction,butmoreorganizationsaremoving

fromisolateddeploymentstoenterprise-scaleadoption:44percentnowreportthatAIisscalingacrosstheirenterprise,upfrom38percentayearago(Exhibit1).

AIisalsoreachingmorepartsoftheenterprise,withtheshareofrespondentssayingtheirorganizationsuseAIinthreeormorefunctionsincreasingfrom51percentto56percent.

Exhibit1

OrganizationsusingAIareincreasinglyreachingthescalingphase.

UseofAIbyrespondents’organizations,%ofrespondents

PhaseofAIuseamongorganizationsusingAI

100

8889

Experimenting

78

80

72

58

Piloting

56

60

50

50

47

55

40

Atleastscaling

20

OrganizationsthatuseAIinatleast1businessfunction1

32

22

34

30

44

38

+6

percentage

points

0

2018202020222024202620252026

1In2017,thedefinitionforAIusewasusingAIinacorepartoftheorganization’sbusinessoratscale.In2018–19,thedefinitionwasembeddingatleast1AI

capabilityinbusinessprocessesorproducts.From2020,thedefinitionwasthattheorganizationhasadoptedAIinatleast1function,andin2025and2026,thedefinitionwasregularuseofAIinatleast1function.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveysonthestateofAI,2017–26

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI6

Aswehaveseenin

previousyears

,AIdeploymentbylargerorganizationscontinuestooutpacedeploymentbysmallerorganizations.Fifty-fourpercentofrespondentsfromorganizationswithatleast$1billioninannualrevenuereportscalingAIacrosstheenterprise,comparedwithone-thirdofthosefromsmallerorganizations.

TheselargerorganizationshavemovedmorequicklythansmalleronesoverthepastyearintheiruseofagenticAI.Thesharescalingagentsinoneormorefunctionsincreasedfrom27percentto

40percent,whileadoptionamongsmallerorganizationsremainedessentiallyflat,at22percent(Exhibit2).

Exhibit2

LargercompaniesaremovingfromexperimentationtoscalingAIagentsmuchfasterthansmallerones.

ExtentofAIagentuseatrespondents’organizations,1%ofrespondents

42

23

14

21

Organizationswith<$1billioninrevenue

41

19

18

22

2025

2026

27

16

17

40

Organizationswith≥$1billioninrevenue

30

25

18

27

2025

2026

Nouseofagents

Experimenting

Piloting

Atleastscaling

1AskedonlyofrespondentswhosaidtheirorganizationsareregularlyusingAIinatleastonebusinessfunction.Thedatashownwasrebasedtothefullsample.Forrespondentsin2026atorganizationswithrevenuesof$1billionormore,n=595.Forthoseatsmallerorganizations,n=1,035.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveysonthestateofAI,2025and2026

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI7

AmongAItools,chatbotsarethemostwidelyscaled,with47percentofrespondentssaying

theirorganizationsarescalingthemacrosstheenterprise.AbouttwointenrespondentsreportreachingthescalingphaseacrosstheirorganizationwithAIagentsandasimilarsharereport

thesamewithsoftwarecodingagents.(Formoreabouttheuseofagents,seesidebar“UseofagenticAIvariesbyindustry.”)TheresultsshowthatlargerorganizationsareaheadinscalingacrossdifferenttypesofAItools(Exhibit3).

Exhibit3

RespondentsfromlargercompaniesreporthigherratesofscalingacrossdiferentAItools.

Phaseoforganization’suseofAItools,byorganizations’revenuesize,1%ofrespondentsAtleastscalingPilotingExperimentingNotatallDon’tknow

AIchatbots

SpecializedAItools

Organizationswith<$1billioninrevenue

39

24

24

13

20

25

26

27

17

15

21

40

7

13

21

36

30

1

OtherAItechnologies

1

Softwarecodingagents

AgenticAI

OtherAIagents

13

10

25

45

8

Organizationswith≥$1billioninrevenue

64

16

14

7

35

26

27

11

1

31

16

21

21

11

25

29

29

14

2

26

24

18

22

10

Note:Figuresmaynotsumto100%,becauseofrounding.

1AskedonlyofrespondentswhosaidtheirorganizationsareregularlyusingAIinatleastonebusinessfunction.Thedatashownwasrebasedtothefullsample.Forrespondentsatorganizationswithrevenuesof$1billionormore,n=595.Forthoseatsmallerorganizations,n=1,035.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsatalllevels,May4–June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI8

Sidebar

UseofagenticAIvariesbyindustry

Thesurveyfindingsshowthat

organizationsarescalingAIinthefunctionswiththegreatestpotentialvaluefortheir

industries.Overall,respondentsmostoftenreportscalingAIagentswithinIT,

knowledgemanagement,andsoftware

engineering(exhibit).Useofagentsismostwidelyreportedbyrespondentsworking

fortechnologycompanies,aswastrue

inlastyear’ssurvey,andrespondentsin

theindustrymuchmorecommonlyreportusingagentsintheirsoftwareengineeringthandorespondentsinotherindustries.

Similarly,respondentsworkinginconsumer

goodsandretailsaytheirorganizations

aremostoftenusingagentsinmarketing

andsalesactivities,whilethoseworking

inadvancedmanufacturing—suchasfor

automotive,aerospace,andsemiconductorcompanies—areusingagentsinsupply

chainandinventorymanagementandinthemanufacturingprocess.

Exhibit

RespondentsintechnologyandmediaandtelecommunicationsarethemostlikelytoreportscalingAIagentswithinfunctions.

Travelandlogistics

Engineeringandconstruction

Advancedmanufacturing

Consumergoodsandretail

Energyandmaterials

Professionalservices

Pharmaandmedicalproducts

Healthcarepayersandproviders

Insurance

Financialinstitutions

Mediaandtelecom

Technology

Total

IT

Knowledgemanagement

Softwareengineering

Serviceoperations

Productand/

orservice

development

Marketingandsales

Humanresources

Risk,legal,andcompliance

Strategyandcorporatefinance

Supplychain/

inventory

management

Manufacturing

AIagentusethathasreachedthescalingphase,byindustryandbusinessfunction,1%ofrespondents

12

23

18

17

7

11

12

8

7

9

15

7

17

11

19

21

17

8

6

9

14

5

11

6

5

5

10

31

16

10

9

11

3

7

7

7

13

8

7

9

15

21

14

14

3

7

9

6

5

10

5

6

9

22

17

7

5

6

6

9

4

8

13

5

4

8

16

13

10

9

2

5

8

7

15

4

5

3

7

10

12

11

3

14

9

9

6

7

7

3

3

5

7

13

14

7

5

4

4

2

6

5

3

2

5

6

4

6

4

0

7

9

1

4

9

1

0

5

4

9

6

0

0

7

3

5

10

14

3

2

3

2

1

1

0

3

9

2

7

5

14

1

0

1Agentsweredefinedas“AIsystemsbasedonfoundationmodelsthatactintherealworldandarecapableofautonomouslyplanningandexecutingmultiple

stepsinaworklow.”AskedonlyofrespondentswhoreportedregularuseofAIinthegivenfunctionandwasrebasedtothefullsample.Forrespondentsin

technology,n=208;formediaandtelecom,n=79;forfinancialinstitutions,n=158;forinsurance,n=44;forhealthcarepayersandproviders,n=52;forpharma

andmedicalproducts,n=64;forprofessionalservices,n=230;forenergyandmaterials,n=177;forconsumergoodsandretail,n=128;foradvancedmanufactur-ing,n=105;forengineeringandconstruction,n=88;fortravelandlogistics,n=61.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsatalllevels,May4–June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI9

Codingagentsareemboldeningcompaniestobuildtheirownsoftwareratherthanpurchase

it.Nearlyone-thirdofrespondents(32percent)reportthattheirorganizationshavedecided

againstpurchasingatleastonesoftwareproductorfeaturebecausetheywereabletobuildthefunctionalityin-houseusingagenticcodingtools.Thesedecisionsaremostcommonlyreportedbyrespondentsworkingintechnologyandhealthcare,followedbythoseinprofessionalservicesandenergyandmaterials(Exhibit4).

Exhibit4

Acrossindustries,somerespondentssaytheirorganizationsareforgoingsoftwarepurchases,buildingsoftwareusingAIcodingtoolsinstead.

Organizationsdecidedagainstbuyingoneormoreadditionalsoftwareproductsorfeaturesinfavorofbuildingfunctionalityin-houseusingAIcodingtools,byindustry,1%ofrespondents

41

39

38

38

TechnologyHealthcarepayersandproviders

36

ProfessionalservicesEnergyandmaterialsFinancialinstitutions

34

33

31

29

28

27

19

MediaandtelecomPharmaandmedicalproducts Travelandlogistics ConsumergoodsandretailEngineeringandconstruction AdvancedmanufacturingInsurance

17

Publicandsocialsector

32

Total

1AskedonlyofrespondentswhosaidtheirorganizationswereregularlyusingAIinatleastonebusinessfunction.Forrespondentsintechnology,n=199;for

healthcarepayersandproviders,n=47;forprofessionalservices,n=205;forenergyandmaterials,n=153;forfinancialinstitutions,n=148;formediaand

telecom,n=71;forpharmaandmedicalproducts,n=55;fortravelandlogistics,n=56;forconsumergoodsandretail,n=116;forengineeringandconstruction,n=72;foradvancedmanufacturing,n=95;forinsurance,n=40;forpublicandsocialsector,n=71.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsatalllevels,May4–June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

McKinseycommentary

LievenVanderVeken

Seniorpartner

NotonlyarelargerorganizationsscalingAIfaster,butmanyarebeginningtotakegreater

ownershipoftheirtechnologyandchangeagendas.Untilrecently,manyleadersassumed

thatAIwasbeyondthecapabilitiesoftheirowntechnologyteams,andthatmovingquickly

meantsecuringtherightexternalpartnership.Now,thetoneischanging.LeadersareaskingwhattheirorganizationsneedtobuildAItoolsthemselves.Theriseofsoftwarecodingagentsandin-housedevelopmentisoneclearsignofthisbroadershift.

This,ofcourse,doesnotmeancompaniesshouldbuildeverythingthemselvesorturnawayfromforgingpartnerships.Itmeansthatleadingorganizationsareengagingpartnersfromapositionofagency.Theorganizationsmovingfastestarebecomingmoredeliberateaboutwheretobuy,wheretobuild,andwheretodevelopenoughinternalcapabilitytointegrate

andscalewhatworks.Theyarealsotreatingoperatingcostsasadesignconstraint,notanafterthought,andmakingthedeeperchangesinworkflowsrequiredforvaluerealization.

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI10

Codingagentsareemboldeningcompaniestobuildtheirown

softwareratherthanpurchaseit.

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI11

Despitebroaderuseandindividual

results,AIimpactremainsconcentrated

ThesurveyresultsshowthatindividualemployeesareseeingmeaningfulbenefitsfromAI.EightintenrespondentssayAIhasimprovedtheirproductivity,andabouthalfsayithashelpedthem

developnewskillsandmakebetterdecisions.Theseimpactsareremarkablyconsistentacross

organizationallevels(Exhibit5).However,theexperienceisnotuniversallypositive:Midlevel

managersandindividualcontributorsaremorelikelythanexecutivestoreportAI-relatedstrains.Amongmidlevelmanagersandindividualcontributors,47percentsaytheyhaveexperiencedoneofthesenegativeeffects,comparedwith31percentofexecutivesandseniormanagers.

Exhibit5

RespondentscommonlysayusingAIhasimprovedtheirownproductivityandhashelpedthemdevelopnewskillsandmakedecisionsatwork.

PerceivedimpactsofAIonrespondent’swork,byrole,1%ofrespondents

PositiveNegative

Improvesmyproductivity

C-level

Executive/

seniormanager

8081

Midlevel

manager

Individual

contributor

8176

Developnewskills

53

51

55

54

Makebetterdecisions

55

48

50

40

Bemorecreative

47

42

37

38

Thinkmoreclearly

39

33

54

37

Makesmyjobmoreenjoyable

26

24

29

30

Helpsmestayfocused

17

16

9

15

Createspressuretotakeonmorework

12

11

18

10

Increasesanxietyaboutmycareerprospects

6

10

19

18

Hurtsmyabilitytothinkcritically

9

8

20

16

OverwhelmedbyvolumeofAIoutputs

11

13

14

14

Increasesmymentalfatigue

7

7

14

7

Makesmyjobmorestressful

I4

l5

8

I4

1Question:“ThinkingaboutyouruseofAItoolsatwork,whichofthefollowingdescribeyourexperience?”AskedonlyofrespondentswhouseAIintheirroles.ForC-levelrespondents,n=654;forexecutivesandseniormanagers,n=424;formidlevelmanagers,n=217;forindividualcontributors,n=195.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsatalllevels,May4–June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI12

Theseindividualgainshaveyettotranslateintobroadfinancialimpactfororganizations.

Aboutfourintenrespondents(37percent)reportthatAIhascontributedpositivelytotheirorganizations’EBIT,essentiallyunchangedfrom2025—despitegrowthintheshareof

organizationsscalingAItechnologies.Respondentsdociteotherorganization-widebenefits:

mostnotably,improvementsininnovation,competitivedifferentiation,customersatisfaction,andemployeesatisfaction.1

Yetevenrespondentswhodon’treportenterprise-levelEBITimpactdosaytheirorganizationsareseeingfinancialimpactfromspecificbusinessfunctions’useofAI.Respondentsmost

frequentlyreportcostreductionsfromAIuseinsupplychainmanagement,serviceoperations,andmanufacturing(Exhibit6).2

Exhibit6

RespondentsmostoftenreportcostbenefitsfromAIdeploymentinsupplychainmanagement,serviceoperations,andmanufacturing.

CostchangewithinbusinessunitsfromAIuse,past12months,byfunction,1%ofrespondentsDecreaseby≥20%Decreaseby11一19%Decreaseby≤10%

SuppIychainmanagement310

28

Serviceoperations76

25

Manufacturing1828

MarketingandsaIes2923

HR6720

Softwareengineering4920

Strategyandcorporatefinance61015

Product/servicedeveIopment5818

IT3718

Risk4816

KnowIedgemanagement7612

Note:PrioreditionsofthissurveyaskedaboutthecostimpactattheusecaseIeveI,andtheanaIysesroIIedupthoseanswerstothereIevantbusinessfunctionIeveI.Inthe2026edition,weaskedabouttheimpactatthebusinessfunctionIeveI.

1QuestionwasaskedonIyofrespondentswhosaidtheirorganizationsreguIarIyuseAIinagivenfunction.Respondentswhosaid“costincrease,”“nochange,”“notappIicabIe,”or“don’tknow”arenotshown.

Source:McKinseyGIobaISurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsataIIIeveIs,May4一June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

1Thesewerealsothemostcommonlyreportedimprovementsinthe2025survey.

2The2026surveymeasuredimpactatthebusiness-functionlevelratherthanaggregatingfromindividualusecaseswithineachfunction.

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI13

Revenuegains,meanwhile,aremostoftenattributedtotheuseofAIinmarketingandsales,followedbyproductandservicedevelopmentandsoftwareengineering(Exhibit7).

Exhibit7

RespondentsmostcommonlyreportrevenuegainsfromAIuseinmarketingandsalesandproductorservicedevelopment.

RevenueincreasewithinbusinessunitsfromAIuse,past12months,byfunction,1%ofrespondents

Increaseby≤5%

9

21

7

Increaseby>10%Increaseby6一10%MarketingandsaIes

8

10

18

Product/servicedeveIopment

11

5

15

Softwareengineering

19

7

19

7

Serviceoperations

5

SuppIychainmanagement

3

7

7

12

Strategyandcorporatefinance

IT5513

Note:PrioreditionsofthissurveyaskedabouttherevenueimpactattheusecaseIeveI,andtheanaIysesroIIedupthoseanswerstothereIevantbusiness

functionIeveI.Inthe2026edition,weaskedabouttheimpactatthebusinessfunctionIeveI.

1QuestionswereaskedonIyofrespondentswhosaidtheirorganizationsuseAIinagivenfunction.Respondentswhosaid“nochange,”“decreasedrevenue,”or“don’tknow”fortheefectsofAIonrevenuearenotshown.

Source:McKinseyGIobaISurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsataIIIeveIs,May4一June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

McKinseycommentary

DanTinkoff

Seniorpartner

Astrikingfindingthisyearisthegapbetweenindividualgainsandenterpriseimpact.Attheindividuallevel,AIisclearlyaboon:80percentofsurveyrespondentssayithasimproved

theirproductivityandhalfsayithelpsthemmakebetterdecisions.Yet,only37percentof

organizationsreportanypositiveEBITcontribution,essentiallyflatcomparedwithlastyear.Whathaschanged,however,is

thehumanfoundation

availabletoclosethatgap.Employeesarebuilding

AIfluency

—ontheirownorwithassistancefromcompanyrolloutsofgeneral-purposeAItools—andthatshiftmatters.Theopportunityforbusinessleadersistoharnesstheenergycreatedbygrowingemployeeliteracyandtoestablishanoperatingmodelthat

enablesthemtoleadtheend-to-endreimaginingofworkflowsintheirareasofresponsibilityatspeedandatscale.

Aboutfourintenrespondents

reportthatAIhascontributed

positivelytotheirorganizations’EBIT,essentiallyunchangedfrom2025.

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI14

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI15

WhileAIinvestmentsareincreasing,operatingcostsareconstraining

AIuseforsome

Asorganizationsexpanddeployment,AIoperatingcosts(includingfortokens)arebecominga

meaningfulconsideration—butnotyetawidespreadconstraint.Oneinfiverespondentssays

theirorganizationislimitingAIusebecauseofoperatingcosts,asharethatisbroadlyconsistentacrossorganizationsofdifferentsizesandacrossmanyindustries(Exhibit8).

Exhibit8

Oneinfiverespondentsreportthattheirorganizations’useofAIhasbeenconstrainedbytheiroperatingcosts,includingtokens.

OrganizationhasconstrainedAIusebecauseofAI-relatedoperatingcosts,1%ofrespondents

25

Technology

24

Financialinstitutions

22

22

21

TravelandlogisticsEngineeringandconstructionProfessionalservices

20

20

18

18

18

MediaandtelecomHealthcarepayersandproviders Advancedmanufacturing PharmaandmedicalproductsEnergyandmaterials

13

12

12

InsurancePublicandsocialsector

Consumergoodsandretail

20

Total

1AskedofrespondentswhoseorganizationsregularlyuseAlinatleast1function.Forrespondentsintechnology,n=202;forfinancialinstitutions,n=154;for

travelandlogistics,n=58;forengineeringandconstruction,n=78;forprofessionalservices,n=220;formediaandtelecom,n=76;forhealthcarepayersandproviders,n=49;foradvancedmanufacturing,n=97;forpharmaandmedicalproducts,n=57;forenergyandmaterials,n=159;forinsurance,n=42;for

publicandsocialsector,n=81;forconsumergoodsandretail,n=122.

Source:McKinseyGlobalSurveyonthestateofAI,1,719participantsatalllevels,May4–June8,2026

McKinsey&Company

ThestateofAIin2026:OntheroadtoROI16

ThosecostconstraintsarebeingreportedacrossthefullrangeofAItools.Foreachofthreetools—AIchatbots,AIagents,andsoftwarecodingagents—aboutoneintenrespondentssaytheirorganizations’usehasbeenconstrainedbycosts.

Despiteemergingcostpressures,organizationsarestillinvestingmeaningfullyinAI.Twenty-

eightpercentofrespondentssaytheirorganizationsarespendingmorethan10percentoftheirtotalenterprise-widebudgetforinformationandcommunicationtechnologyonAItechnologies.

Andlookingahead,60percentofrespondentsexpecttheirorganizationstoincreasetheir

AIinvestmentsoverthenextyear.Respondentsinpharmaceuticalsandmedicalproducts,

insurance,andbankingandotherfinancialinstitutionsarethemostlikelytoexpectincreasinginvestment(Exhibit9).

Exhibit9

Inalmosteverysector,mostrespondentsexpecttheirorganizationstoincreasetheirAIinvestmentinthenextyear.

Expectedchangeinenterprise-wideinvestmentinthenextyear,1%ofrespondents

27

8

Pharmaandmedicalproducts

Insurance

Financialinstitutions

Travelandlogistics

Energyandmaterials

ConsumergoodsandretailHealthcarepayersandproviders

Professionalservices

Engineeringandconstruction

Technology

Advancedmanufacturing

Mediaandtelecom

Publicandsocialsector

16

17

24

8

8

27

36

6

19

5

22

7

19

4

30

3

18

13

23

9

14

9

14

4

Total

Increaseby≥30%Increaseby10–29%Increaseby<10%

40

38

37

32

21

38

33

38

27

28

27

34

24

8

30

23

1AskedonlyofrespondentswhoseorganizationshaveadoptedAlinatleast1function.Forrespondentsinpharmaandmedicalproducts,n=57;forinsurance,n=42;forfinancialinstitutions,n=154;f