2026 AI Adoption Report

The 2026 AI adoption study from Wharton Human-AI Research and GBK Collective examines proving value, workflow transformation, and organizational alignment, finding that positive returns are near-universal but substantial ones are not. Organizations with strongly positive ROI are distinguished by measuring growth outcomes rather than time saved, redesigning workflows and management structures, appointing a CAIO, standardizing on a platform, and giving AI agents meaningful authority with automated monitoring. The report cites figures including 67% strongly positive ROI among leaders whose department meets all three components of transformational success versus 19% of those that do not, and 58% with a newly designated CAIO versus 8% with no such role.