ai and ml
Fasten your seatbelt and empty that bladder: AI investment is rising, but reported enterprise earnings impact remains stubbornly flat
Four years into the generative AI revolution, consulting giant McKinsey reckons we've finally started the engine and are officially "on the road to ROI." Whether that road leads to actual profit-making and how long it takes to travel is anyone's guess, because the firm's data suggests most respondents still aren't reporting an enterprise-level earnings contribution from AI.McKinsey surveyed 1,719 professionals and business leaders from around the world and across industries for its report on the State of AI in 2026, and what it found sounds a lot like what similar studies have determined in the past couple of years. According to the report, more businesses are deploying more AI in the belief that their investments will start paying off, but the number of people reporting an actual earnings boost from their AI initiatives has remained flat. According to the survey data, 37 percent of respondents “attribute at least some EBIT [earnings before interest and taxes] impact to AI use,” which is “about the same” share as respondents to its 2025 survey. The word "some" is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, because only a small minority of respondents qualify as McKinsey’s AI high performers.
