We recently completed our 2026 Corporate AI Outlook Study, a national survey examining how organizations are adopting and advancing artificial intelligence. Over the coming weeks, we will be taking a closer look at the results, focusing on individual questions and what they reveal about how AI is actually being applied across organizations today.
In this first post, we examine where organizations currently stand in their AI adoption journey. While interest and activity are widespread, the data shows meaningful differences in how far AI has progressed from experimentation to sustained, enterprise-level use.
AI adoption is widespread, but uneven
Artificial intelligence adoption has moved well beyond early curiosity for most organizations. Very few teams report having no AI activity at all. At the same time, our study shows that enterprise-wide maturity remains limited.
Most respondents describe their current state as selective deployment or pilot-level experimentation. AI is being used in specific workflows, teams, or functions, but only a small percentage report that AI is broadly embedded across operations. This signals progress, but also hesitation when it comes to scale.
- No AI initiatives yet: 13%
- Pilot/experimentation only: 22%
- Select deployment in one or more areas: 36%
- Broad deployment across multiple functions: 14%
- AI is strategic and embedded across operations: 8%
Why selective adoption persists
Selective adoption often reflects practical realities rather than lack of ambition. Many organizations begin with contained use cases where value is easier to demonstrate and risk is easier to manage. As those early initiatives succeed, new questions emerge around governance, ownership, measurement, and workforce readiness.
The transition from isolated use cases to consistent enterprise deployment introduces complexity. Leaders must determine how decisions are made, how success is measured, and how AI fits into existing operating models. Without clarity in these areas, organizations tend to slow expansion even when tools and budgets are available.
The leadership challenge moving into 2026
The data suggests that AI adoption is becoming more deliberate. Leaders are no longer asking whether AI belongs in the organization, but how it should be managed, scaled, and sustained. This shift places greater emphasis on operating discipline, internal alignment, and repeatability.
Organizations that treat AI as an operating capability rather than a series of experiments are better positioned to move beyond selective adoption. Standardization, governance frameworks, and shared definitions of success become critical as AI use expands.
Benchmark your adoption maturity
The full 2026 Corporate AI Outlook Study explores how adoption levels vary across organizations and how leaders expect AI use to evolve in the year ahead. Download the full report to compare your organization’s adoption maturity against peers and understand what the next phase of progress looks like.
