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TL;DR
AI use is expanding, but survey evidence points to a much smaller group of companies reporting substantial financial returns. McKinsey’s 2026 survey found 6% met its definition of high performers, while BCG found 5% of surveyed firms were getting value at scale. The figures use different measures, and forecasts about project cancellations remain forecasts, not confirmed outcomes.
AI is spreading across companies, but only a small share report substantial financial returns, according to surveys and forecasts reviewed by ThorstenMeyerAI.com on November 6. In McKinsey’s 2026 survey, 6% of respondents’ organisations qualified as high performers, defined as attributing at least 5% of earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to AI; BCG separately found 5% of 1,250 companies were getting value from AI at scale.
The two surveys point to a gap between adoption and financial impact, but their measures are not identical. McKinsey’s survey included 1,719 respondents; 37% said AI had some effect on their company’s EBIT, about the same share as a year earlier, according to coverage by The Register and TechTimes. BCG reported that 60% of its surveyed firms saw no material value from AI. Those figures describe survey responses, not audited company accounts or a single industry-wide measure.
Use is broader in Europe, although it varies by company size. Eurostat reported that 20.0% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025, compared with 13.5% in 2024. The 2025 share was 55% among large enterprises and 17% among small enterprises. Eurostat’s figures measure reported use, not whether it increased profit.
Agent-based systems are becoming part of the business case. BCG respondents said agents accounted for about 17% of their AI value and expected that share to reach 29% by 2028. In McKinsey’s survey, 40% of companies with more than $1 billion in revenue said they were scaling agents, up from 27%, according to The Register and TechTimes. These are reported adoption and expectations, not proof that agents will deliver the projected returns.
Infographic 01 · Who gets value from AI
Most companies use AI. About 6 percent profit from it in a big way
Adoption keeps rising. The share of companies that can show a large effect on profit has barely moved.
Share of McKinsey’s 2026 respondents who attribute at least 5 percent of their company’s EBIT to AI and call the impact significant. Flat versus 2025, as reported by The Register.
Wide use, thin profit
Different surveys, different bases: read each line with its source
Sources: McKinsey State of AI 2026 (n = 1,719), as reported by The Register, 25 Aug 2026 and TechTimes, 26 Aug 2026 · BCG, The Widening AI Value Gap, Sept 2025 (n = 1,250) · Eurostat, 11 Dec 2025 · Eurostat Statistics Explained (enterprises with 10+ employees). Survey figures are self-reported by executives; Eurostat counts use, not value.
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Why Adoption Has Not Become Profit
The findings matter because companies are moving from buying software that helps workers complete tasks to systems that may perform parts of those tasks. AI can process emails, invoices or support tickets, retrieve information, and take actions within set limits. That shift may change how work is organised, but adoption alone does not show that the change is profitable.
BCG’s results suggest that returns are concentrated among firms that make larger operational changes. The report says its leading companies had deployed 62% of their AI initiatives, compared with 12% among laggards. BCG attributes the larger opportunity to redesigning core workflows rather than relying on isolated pilots. That is the consultancy’s interpretation of its survey, not a guarantee that redesign will produce gains for every company.
For employees, the results offer a mixed signal. McKinsey respondents who use AI reported productivity improvements, while more respondents expected job cuts: 39%, up from 32%, according to The Register and TechTimes. The source also reports that cuts in the previous year fell short of respondents’ expectations. The survey captures views and reported experience; it does not establish how employment will change across the economy.
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From Digitised Tasks to AI Agents
Traditional digital transformation often moved paper processes onto screens while leaving people responsible for interpreting information and making decisions. AI tools can handle some of that interpretation, including processing unstructured documents and sorting requests. Agentic systems can also take steps across software tools, subject to permissions and human oversight.
The source article draws on several kinds of evidence: Eurostat’s official statistics on European businesses, BCG’s survey of 1,250 companies, Gartner forecasts, and McKinsey’s 2026 State of AI survey as reported by The Register and TechTimes. It also cites MIT’s “GenAI Divide” report as reported by Fortune. These sources do not use one shared definition of AI adoption, value or project success, so their percentages should be read separately rather than combined into a single estimate.
Gartner’s guidance, as quoted in the source, distinguishes agents for decisions, automation for routine workflows and assistants for basic information retrieval. The source also says nearly a third of McKinsey respondents’ organisations had decided against buying at least one software product or feature because agentic coding tools could support an in-house build, according to The Register. That finding concerns reported purchasing decisions, not the overall effect of AI on software markets.
What the Surveys Cannot Establish
The figures do not provide a like-for-like measure of profit. McKinsey’s high-performer threshold is based on respondents attributing at least 5% of EBIT to AI, while BCG reports the share of companies getting value at scale and the share reporting no material value. Survey answers may reflect different definitions, industries and levels of measurement; neither result establishes independently verified returns across all companies.
It is also unclear how many agent projects will be cancelled or how quickly companies will move them into production. Gartner’s estimate that more than 40% could be cancelled by the end of 2027 is a forecast. The source also cites a Gartner forecast that organisations will abandon 60% of AI projects lacking AI-ready data; the period and precise scope for that figure are not detailed in the supplied material.
Eurostat’s adoption statistics do not show which uses deliver value, and the survey summaries do not identify the specific companies behind the reported gains. The evidence therefore supports a gap between reported use and reported returns, but not a definitive explanation for every company’s result.
The Next Test: Measurable Returns
Companies will need to show whether AI projects improve measurable business outcomes as pilots move into wider deployment. The source points to workflow redesign, clear targets, suitable data and defined oversight as practical priorities. For agents that can send messages or make transactions, controls over permissions, records and human review will also shape whether organisations are willing to expand their use.
The next markers in the evidence are updated company surveys, official adoption statistics and actual project outcomes against stated targets. BCG’s respondents expect agents to account for a larger share of AI value by 2028, while Gartner forecasts project cancellations through the end of 2027. Those milestones may clarify whether growing adoption translates into sustained financial returns, but the available results do not yet settle that question.
Key Questions
How many companies are reporting substantial AI profit gains?
In McKinsey’s 2026 survey, 6% of respondents’ organisations met its high-performer definition: attributing at least 5% of EBIT to AI. BCG separately found 5% of 1,250 surveyed companies were getting value at scale. The measures differ.
How common is AI use among European companies?
Eurostat reported that 20.0% of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025, up from 13.5% in 2024. Adoption was 55% among large enterprises and 17% among small ones.
Why do some AI projects fail to reach production?
The source cites cost, unclear value, weak risk controls and missing AI-ready data as barriers in Gartner forecasts. It also reports that 71% of European firms that considered AI but did not use it cited missing expertise. These findings identify reported obstacles, not a single cause for every stalled project.
Are AI agents already delivering value?
BCG respondents said agents represented about 17% of their AI value and expected 29% by 2028. McKinsey also found that more large companies reported scaling agents. These survey results indicate reported use and expectations; they do not verify future returns.
Does the evidence show that AI is causing widespread job cuts?
No. McKinsey respondents increasingly expected job cuts—39%, compared with 32% previously—but the source says cuts in the previous year fell short of expectations. The results do not establish the overall effect of AI on employment.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
