BCG Finds Nearly Half of Companies Generate Value From AI

Nearly half of companies now generate meaningful value from AI, according to the Applied AI Index 2026 from Boston Consulting Group, which was detailed in a press release. The study surveyed 1,330 executives and senior leaders.

The most advanced 7.5% of companies recorded 2.3 times the total shareholder return, 2.4 times the revenue growth, and 2.8 times the EBITDA growth of companies in the lowest category. Another 41% are scaling AI and recorded 1.8 times the shareholder return of the lowest category.

Corporate AI spending rose from about 1.7% of revenue in late 2025 to 3.3% in 2026. More than 80% of that spending now sits outside enterprise IT budgets.

By 2030, 42% of surveyed companies expect to give AI agents decision making authority, while 5% currently have a full set of controls in place. The report identifies oversight, rollback procedures, security controls, audits, and cost limits as required controls for AI agents.