What happened
EXL, a global data and AI company, released its third annual Enterprise AI Study on June 17, 2026, surveying 322 C-suite and senior decision makers across banking, finance, insurance, retail, utilities, life sciences, and healthcare. The headline paradox: 76% of companies believe they are ahead of their competitors on AI, but only 10% meet EXL's criteria for AI Leaders with company-wide integration and measurable ROI. AI Leaders report 27% revenue growth, 26% cost reduction, and 22% margin improvement in AI-enabled areas. The key differentiator is operating model transformation—44% of Leaders have completely redesigned enterprise-wide operating models to embed AI, compared to 23% of Laggards. Data infrastructure remains the top barrier, with 70% citing data challenges (privacy, security, siloed data).
Why it matters
This report directly addresses the ROI paradox that executives face: widespread AI adoption with minimal measurable return. By isolating the operating model redesign as the critical success factor (not technology alone), the study provides a strategic framework for boards assessing whether their AI investments are yielding value or sitting idle.
Action needed
Assess whether your organization is redesigning core workflows and decision processes around AI, or adapting AI into legacy processes; prioritize data consolidation and transparency as prerequisites for scaling AI; benchmark your organization against the AI Leader profile.