New Delhi [India] Aug. 12 (ANI): An AI Pulse survey conducted by global consulting firm Protiviti shows that while most organizations around the world are still in the early stages of AI adoption, the level of satisfaction in AI returns is high, and that investments have been met or exceeded.
The survey was conducted between March and April 2025 with over 1,000 business leaders from various sectors and regions, so only 8% of organizations that have reached the highest level of maturity, known as the “transformation” stage, found that AI promotes critical innovation and competitive advantage. A majority, 51%, are in the early research or experimental stages.
This technology sector is the most advanced, with over 70% of companies actively expanding AI and using it to rebuild the industry in three and four levels of AI maturity. Manufacturing shows strong experiments, particularly in predictive maintenance, quality control and robotics.
AI's return on investment maturity (ROI) satisfaction level has risen significantly. At the earliest stage, 36% of organizations said their returns were below expectations. However, during the transformation phase, nearly 75% reported returns exceeding expectations, while 47% said they had significantly exceeded expectations.
Integration with existing systems emerged as the single biggest challenge cited by 30% of respondents, and subsequently fails to understand impactful user cases and data availability issues. The data challenges become more pronounced at advanced stages, with 29% of stage five companies citing it as their biggest concern.
The study also highlighted changes in perceptions of AI success. Early stage organizations focus on cost reduction, employee productivity and process efficiency. In later stages, priorities expand to customer satisfaction and revenue growth, indicating a strategic pivot from short-term efficiency to long-term business transformation.
“Our inauguration research shows that AI success is a complex evolution for businesses around the world, requiring strategy, patience and willingness to rethink the foundations of business.”
“The findings reveal that there is a clear reward for those who move past the AI experiment,” said Dhrubabrata Ghosh Dastidar, managing director of India's Protiviti member companies. “The early promises of AI will remain unfulfilled unless businesses operate on a large scale.”
The report concludes that to advance from experimentation to transformation, organizations need to focus on capacity building, robust data governance, scalable infrastructure and ongoing employee upskills. Non-technology sectors recommend adopting best practices from the high-tech industry, such as agile experiments and cloud-based AI solutions.
Survey respondents represented the diverse industries with the highest participation from technology (11%) and manufacturing (10%). The US accounted for 42% of respondents, followed by India, the UK (10%, respectively) and Japan (8%).
Protiviti's findings highlight that while AI journeys are still in the early stages for many, those investing in strategic integrity, data preparation and cultural change are best positioned to achieve sustainable, innovation-driven growth. (ani)
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