According to Citizens magazine's third annual report, AI adoption and investment momentum is growing, driving measurable ROI for companies and emerging as a key factor in private equity decision-making. AI trend survey in financial management.
According to the survey, 82% of mid-market companies plan to increase spending on AI over the next five years, up from 58% in 2023 and 69% in 2024.
The increased enthusiasm is supported by tangible efficiency gains and tangible benefits. 61% of midmarket CFOs report that AI has made their financial processes easier, a significant increase from the previous year. On average, companies achieve a 35% return on investment, approaching the 41% mark that CFOs define as success.
Investing in AI capabilities also makes strategic sense for companies considering future sale. The study found that private equity firms are increasingly prioritizing AI when evaluating portfolio companies. 97% say a successful AI strategy is an attractive attribute in a potential acquisition.
“Artificial intelligence is more than just a buzzword. It's a transformative technology that delivers tangible results and shapes reputation,” said Vice Chairman Mark Lehmann. citizen commercial bank. “Private equity firms are actively seeking companies with strong AI strategies. Companies need to think carefully about how to navigate this transition so they can maximize their value and attract the right partners.”
The Citizens survey was conducted in October 2025 among 134 CFOs at mid-market companies ($50 million to $1 billion in annual revenue) and 153 finance leaders at PE firms (fund sizes under $1.5 billion) and focused on how companies and private equity firms are thinking about AI processes and leveraging technology to drive efficiency within their organizations. Other key findings include:
- Fraud prevention remains a key AI use case. 62% of private equity firms believe fraud detection is a near-term benefit of AI, and 45% of midmarket companies are already using AI to combat fraud. Use cases range from cybersecurity, customer identification, real-time transaction monitoring, and phishing detection.
- Adoption of agent AI (Autonomous, goal-driven AI systems that can plan, reason, and act independently with minimal human oversight) iIt's accelerating fast. 82% of mid-market companies and 95% of PE firms are currently using or planning to implement agent AI. Almost all early adopters (99%) agree that operational efficiency and employee productivity have improved.
- AI development is moving in-house. As investment fever increases, companies are reducing their dependence on external partners. The percentage of mid-market companies using AI to partner with external companies fell from 64% in 2024 to 58% in 2025. For PE firms, this number fell from 76% to 52%, indicating a sharp pivot towards developing in-house expertise.
- Customer satisfaction is an important measure of success. Both mid-market and PE firms agree that improving customer satisfaction is a more important indicator of successful AI implementation than gaining an advantage over competitors.
go here To see more research results or learn more about the methodology.
