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Deloitte’s 2026 “State of AI in the Enterprise: The Untapped Edge” report, based on a survey of over 3,200 director- to C-suite-level leaders involved in AI initiatives across 24 countries, highlights a pivotal shift: enterprises are moving beyond AI pilots and experimentation toward large-scale deployment and impact. While ambition remains high, most organizations are capturing productivity gains rather than deep business reimagination, leaving significant untapped value on the table.
Enterprises are accelerating AI adoption, yet many remain stuck in pilot mode due to competing priorities, unclear strategies, and “pilot fatigue.” Those making progress are focusing on scaling deployments and integrating AI into core workflows. The report emphasizes the need for clear communication of AI strategy to bridge the pilot-to-production gap and unlock measurable value.
While AI delivers efficiency for most organizations, only 30% are redesigning key processes around it, and 37% report surface-level usage with minimal change to underlying operations. Leaders succeeding with AI are investing in both technology and people—empowering teams to embrace reimagined business models and achieve strategic differentiation.
“Across the enterprise, we're seeing massive ambition around AI, with organizations starting to pivot from experimentation to integrating AI into the core of the business with a focus on scale and impact. As organizations look to unlock AI's full value, leaders should enable enterprise value by consciously weaving AI into the fabric of their business workflows and through the better coupling of people and machine intelligence.” – Nitin Mittal, Deloitte Global AI leader
"The organizations succeeding with AI aren't just investing in automation and algorithms, they're investing in their people. As AI continues to spark new ways of working, this dual focus – advancing both the capabilities of their talent and AI tools – empowers teams to embrace reimagined business models and sets the foundation for competitive advantage." – Jim Rowan, US head of AI, Deloitte.
Agentic AI is advancing quickly, with nearly three-quarters of companies planning deployment within two years. However, only 21% have mature governance models, highlighting the need for measured scaling starting with lower-risk use cases. Physical AI adoption is accelerating in manufacturing, logistics, and defense, while sovereign AI readiness is gaining priority—77% now consider vendor country of origin, and nearly 60% prioritize local vendors for AI stacks.
The report underscores that AI’s transformative potential depends on moving beyond productivity to reimagining business models, building robust governance, and preparing for emerging innovations like agentic, physical, and sovereign AI.
About the Report
The “State of AI in the Enterprise” survey, conducted August–September 2025, gathered insights from 3,235 business and IT leaders across 24 countries and six industries: consumer; energy, resources and industrials; financial services; life sciences and health care; technology, media and telecom; and government and public services.
About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 9,000 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters for our people, clients, and communities. We bring together distinct talents, technologies, disciplines, and an ecosystem of alliances to help tackle today's most complex business challenges and drive long-term progress.
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