This week’s AI news highlights how organizations are moving past experimentation into measurable adoption, governance, and integration into core workflows, as well as how executives are grappling with adoption challenges and practical use cases.
1. AI adoption sparks real business results but reveals new measurement gaps
A summary of recent industry findings shows that while AI adoption across business functions continues to climb, many companies are now discovering that traditional measures of success don’t fully capture AI’s value. Issues such as data quality, governance, and inconsistent evaluation of outcomes have emerged as primary bottlenecks, particularly in marketing and customer operations, even where adoption is widespread. This underscores a shift from early excitement about AI to a more disciplined approach to tracking impact across key metrics such as conversion, retention, and error reduction.
Read the full story on Solutions Review (Jasper marketing AI report)
2. Lenovo research finds CIOs expect high ROI but many are still exploring agentic AI
Lenovo’s CIO Playbook 2026, based on IDC research, shows that most organizations have transitioned from pilots to late-stage AI adoption, with nearly half having moved proof-of-concepts into production. Despite strong expectations of 179 % ROI from AI investments, only a minority have fully deployed “agentic AI,” where agents perform multi-step tasks autonomously. Hybrid architectures combining agentic and generative AI are emerging as the preferred enterprise model. The report highlights both real use cases and the need for governance frameworks to scale effectively.
Read the full study summary from Lenovo
3. WEF highlights 32 real-world AI use cases showing measurable outcomes
The World Economic Forum and Accenture published a report titled “Proof over Promise” detailing dozens of AI applications already delivering measurable business value. These include AI systems that improve supply chain resilience, accelerate disease detection, optimize energy usage, and enhance operational decision-making. The initiative – MINDS (Meaningful, Intelligent, Novel, Deployable Solutions) – spotlights organizations in more than 20 industries where AI has moved from experimentation to scaled adoption with clear results.
Read the full report summary on CIO.com
4. Small and medium businesses now leading practical AI integration
According to the 2026 Small Business AI Outlook Report, 57 % of U.S. small businesses are investing in AI tools — up from 36 % in 2023 — and many are using AI daily to save time, reduce repetitive tasks, and redirect staff to higher-value work. While adoption is uneven, managers report saving more hours weekly through AI automation, and most small business leaders describe AI as mission-critical to their competitiveness even amid workforce concerns about reputation and change.
Read the full AI adoption report on Business.com
5. Google’s internal ‘Project EAT’ shows how AI can enhance employee productivity
Google’s internal initiative, Project EAT (Employ AI Thoughtfully), is designed to equip employees with advanced, workflow-focused AI tools that boost productivity and support everyday tasks like coding, collaboration, and research. Early results from pilot teams show improvements in developer efficiency and lower cognitive load on knowledge workers. For executives thinking about AI adoption at enterprise scale, this project exemplifies how strategic internal programs can foster broad usage and deliver tangible workplace gains.
Read the full story on Business Insider
6. AI Innovators: A Conversation with Brennan Woodruff
In today’s episode, Brennan Woodruff, Director of Strategic Partnerships at mHUB, shares how AI is shaping the future of manufacturing, hard tech innovation, and venture-backed commercialization. Brennan also serves as Chicago Co-Lead for the AI Collective and as a Deal Partner for Boardy, supporting founders and investors across the startup ecosystem.
Why It Matters
• Impact measurement is the next frontier. Leaders are realizing that adoption alone is not enough; frameworks for quantifying AI outcomes across business metrics are now essential.
• Agentic AI is evolving from buzz to practice. Strategic CIO reports show that enterprises are balancing generative and agentic workloads, even as governance and readiness remain top challenges.
• Scaled use cases show tangible value. WEF’s report highlights real deployments that extend beyond hype, offering models for other sectors to emulate.
• SMBs are no longer AI laggards. Small and medium enterprises are deploying AI to address core business needs, not just pilot projects—a marker of broader market maturity.
• Strategic internal adoption drives productivity. Initiatives like Google’s Project EAT illustrate how internal programs can accelerate useful AI adoption and produce measurable workforce improvements.
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