Companies are overestimating the actual progress of AI

EXL’s 2026 U.S. Enterprise AI Study Finds Significant Gap Between Perceived AI Adoption Progress and Real-World Performance Improvements

76% of companies believe they are ahead of their competitors when it comes to AI
Only 10% meet AI leader criteria
AI Leaders achieve 27% revenue growth, 26% cost savings, and 22% profit improvement by rethinking core workflows

NEW YORK, June 17, 2026 (Globe Newswire) — Most companies believe they have an edge over their competitors when it comes to AI. New research by EXL [NASDAQ: EXLS]a global data and AI company, has made significant strides across the company in integrating AI across core business functions, showing that only one in 10 companies realizes a significant return on investment (ROI) from their AI initiatives. This gap is not a technology issue. It’s an operating model issue.

3rd annual EXL US Enterprise AI Survey The study is based on a survey of 322 executives and other senior decision makers in the banking, finance, insurance, retail, utilities, life sciences, and health insurance industries. The results reveal a significant disconnect between how organizations measure AI progress and where they currently stand in real-world AI integration.

“Every company is leveraging some form of AI today, but leaders are starting to differentiate themselves when it comes to large-scale enterprise integration,” said Anand “Andy” Rogani, executive vice president and chief AI officer at EXL. “What separates leaders is that they stop trying to fit AI into existing ways of doing things and start asking more fundamental questions: How would this workflow, this team, this decision look different if AI was built in from the beginning? Moving from experimenting with AI to executing AI requires more than an investment in technology; it requires a transformation of the operating model.”

Below are some of the report’s key findings.

While most companies think they are ahead of the curve when it comes to AI, the reality is more grim. 76% say they are ahead of their competitors, compared to just 10% according to our research. Qualify as an AI leader. These leaders went beyond pilots to incorporate AI into high-impact workflows and reimagine the way they work to drive greater business value.

AI leaders generate quantifiable ROI. AI leaders generate significantly greater benefits, even though they represent only 10% of respondents. Leaders estimate that AI has reduced costs by 26%, increased revenue by 27%, and improved profits by 22% in the specific areas where it has been deployed. Laggards continue to emerge in all three areas. Leaders also report increased stability in uncertain markets, increased customer engagement, and more effective market expansion as a direct result of using AI.
- Operating model transformation is a key differentiator. Central to leaders’ approaches is a willingness to redesign enterprise-wide operating models, rather than adapting existing operating models. While many organizations have made incremental changes to accommodate AI, leaders are taking more fundamental steps to reengineer workflows, redefine roles, and reimagine decision-making processes with AI at the core. Overall, 44% of leaders have completely redesigned their company-wide operating model to accommodate the use of AI. This number drops to just 23% among laggards.
- Data preparation remains a major challenge. Data infrastructure remains the single most cited barrier to scaling AI, with 7 in 10 respondents saying data is a challenge. Data privacy and security (34%), data siled across multiple sources (31%), and limited model transparency (31%) were the three most frequently cited barriers. 83% of Laggards still struggle with data siled within their business functions, compared to 44% of Leaders who have achieved enterprise-wide data access.

To explore the survey results in more detail, 2026 EXL US Enterprise AI Survey. For more information and to explore how EXL can add value to your AI initiatives, please contact us.

About EXL

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a global data and AI company that provides services and solutions that help clients reinvent their business models, drive better outcomes, and achieve faster growth. EXL leverages the power of data, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform businesses, including some of the world’s largest companies in industries such as insurance, healthcare, banking and capital markets, retail, communications and media, energy and infrastructure, and more. EXL was founded in 1999 with core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. The company is headquartered in New York and has approximately 67,000 employees on six continents. For more information, please visit www.exlservice.com.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should not place undue reliance on such statements as they are subject to numerous uncertainties and factors relating to EXL’s operations and business environment. All of them are difficult to predict and many are beyond EXL’s control. Forward-looking statements include information regarding EXL’s possible or expected future performance, including a description of its business strategy. These statements may include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate” or similar expressions. These statements are based on assumptions made by the Company in consideration of management’s experience in the industry, historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors that it believes to be appropriate under the circumstances. Please understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. These include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although EXL believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you are cautioned that many factors could affect EXL’s actual financial and operating results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These factors include our ability to maintain and grow customer demand, our ability to hire and retain a well-trained workforce, and our ability to accurately estimate and manage costs, rising interest rates, rising inflation and economic downturn trends, and are more fully described in EXL’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including EXL’s Annual Report on Form 10-K. Please note that forward-looking statements made herein or elsewhere speak only as of the date on which they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible to predict these events or how they may affect EXL. EXL undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, except as required by federal securities laws.

media contact
keith little
media.relations@exlservice.com

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