ROI & Cost
Do companies actually see ROI from AI?
Short Answer
As of 2026, 56% of CEOs report neither increased revenue nor decreased costs from AI in the last 12 months, and just 12% report both — the defining divide between AI leaders and laggards (PwC, 2026).
Key Facts
- 56% — of CEOs report neither increased revenue nor decreased costs from AI in the last 12 months (PwC 2026 Global CEO Survey, 2026).
- 12% — of CEOs say AI has delivered both cost and revenue benefits — a defining divide between leaders and laggards (Forbes (citing PwC), 2026).
- 88% — of enterprises say AI has had an impact on increasing annual revenue in some or all parts of the business (NVIDIA State of AI 2026, 2026).
of CEOs report neither increased revenue nor decreased costs from AI in the last 12 months
PwC surveyed 4,454 CEOs across 95 countries. While experimentation is widespread, the majority have yet to translate AI investment into measurable financial gains. Only 33% report gains in either cost or revenue.
Is AI ROI improving or getting worse?
It's polarising. 88% of enterprises say AI has helped increase revenue somewhere in the business (NVIDIA, 2026), but only 30% report annual revenue gains above 10%. Leaders are pulling ahead while laggards still fail to measure impact — 29% of executives say they can measure AI ROI confidently.
What separates AI leaders from laggards?
The 12% of CEOs delivering both revenue and cost gains are 2–3× more likely to have embedded AI extensively across products, services, and strategic decisions rather than bolting it on. Companies applying AI broadly achieve roughly 4 percentage points higher profit margins than those that haven't.
Where is AI ROI strongest?
Marketing and sales — 67% of AI-using businesses in marketing and sales report increased revenue, the highest of any function. Software engineering and manufacturing tie for highest cost savings (56% reporting cost decreases), followed by IT at 54%.
Supporting Data
of CEOs say AI has delivered both cost and revenue benefits — a defining divide between leaders and laggards
Forbes (citing PwC), 2026
of enterprises say AI has had an impact on increasing annual revenue in some or all parts of the business
NVIDIA State of AI 2026, 2026
of enterprises report AI-driven annual revenue increases exceeding 10% — rising to over 40% among C-suite executives
NVIDIA State of AI 2026, 2026
higher profit margins at companies applying AI widely to products, services, and customer experiences
PwC 2026 Global CEO Survey, 2026
of AI investments at leading companies go toward reshaping functions — yielding 2.1× greater anticipated ROI than peers
BCG AI Radar 2025, 2025
Recommended Citation
AI Statistics Center, citing PwC 2026 Global CEO Survey (2026). https://aistatisticscenter.com/answers/do-companies-see-roi-from-ai
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