PwC: Only 20% of Firms Capture 74% of AI Value

While AI investments break new glass ceilings, research shows that a small group of companies have captured the lion’s share of financial gains while others struggle to move beyond experimentation.

For HR leaders, this isn’t just a technology story – it’s a widening talent and capability gap that will define competitive advantage for years to come.

A PwC study interviewing over 1,200 senior executives found that just 20% of organisations are securing nearly three-quarters (74%) of AI-driven economic value, underlining a stark divide in how businesses are using the technology – and how effectively they are mobilising their workforces, skills, and governance to support it.

At the heart of this gap is a shift in mindset. Rather than treating AI as a tool for efficiency alone, leading firms are embedding it into their growth strategies and reshaping how they operate – redefining roles, decisions and accountability while building the skills, culture and trust required for responsible adoption.

This is where CHROs are pivotal: orchestrating workforce transformation, closing critical skill gaps and aligning incentives and change management to deliver outcomes at scale.

“Many companies are busy rolling out AI pilots, but only a minority are converting that activity into measurable financial returns,” says Joe Atkinson, Global Chief AI Officer at PwC. Turning pilots into performance now depends on leadership that integrates AI strategy with people strategy – so value creation is designed into the organisation, not left to chance.

“The leaders stand out because they point AI at growth, not just cost reduction – and back that ambition with the foundations that make AI scalable and reliable,” says Joe Atkinson, Global Chief AI Officer at PwC. 

In addition to Joe, the research was authored by Agnes Koops, Global Vice Chair & Global Chief Commercial Officer at PwC Netherlands, and Matt Wood, Global and US Commercial Technology & Innovation Officer (CTIO), Partner at PwC US.

Growth-focused AI strategies

The companies seeing the strongest returns are not simply adopting more tools. They are rethinking business models with AI at the core – shifting from isolated pilots to enterprise platforms, from task automation to new value propositions, and from sporadic training to systematic capability-building. For HR leaders, that translates into redesigning work and workforce models, closing critical skill gaps, aligning incentives with AI-enabled outcomes, and putting in place the guardrails that build trust.

“We see it in the data, in the market and in the conversations we have daily with clients from around the globe: AI creates value when it’s aimed at growth, not just cost,” notes Agnes on her LinkedIn. “If AI is treated just as an efficiency tool, the biggest opportunity is being left on the table.”

Leaders in AI aren’t just layering tools onto old systems – they’re reinventing. They are 2.6 times more likely to use AI to completely overhaul their business model.

Companies that pursue industry-convergence opportunities with AI are two to three times more likely to report meaningful financial outcomes than those focused solely on cost savings. Top performers redesign workflows from the ground up and integrate AI deeply into operations, enabling faster innovation and more flexible decisions.

As a result, the most AI-fit companies deliver AI-driven financial performance that’s 7.2 times higher than their peers.

The study also points out the three measurements of AI use and six foundational capabilities as outlined in the figure that determine AI fitness. 

Automation and trust 

AI leaders pair ambitious automation with strong governance. They deploy AI across multiple tasks within clear guardrails and are advancing toward increasingly autonomous systems.

The result is a surge in machine-led decision-making: leading companies are nearly three times more likely to increase decisions made without human intervention, reflecting growing confidence in AI-driven processes.

Confidence comes from trust and governance. High performers are 1.7x more likely to invest in responsible AI and cross-functional oversight, ensuring safe, transparent systems – and building employee trust that accelerates adoption.

A divide is widening: many firms keep piloting, few achieve tangible financial impact. Without a strategic reset, leaders will pull further ahead by moving faster, learning quicker, refining models and scaling what works.

Bottom line: success hinges less on how many tools you deploy and more on embedding AI deeply into growth strategy, decision-making and organisational design.