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AI adoption is spreading, but surveys suggest that substantial profit gains remain concentrated among a small share of companies. In McKinsey’s 2026 survey, 6% of respondents said AI accounted for at least 5% of their company’s EBIT; BCG separately found 5% of surveyed companies were getting value from AI at scale.
Most companies are adopting AI, but few report large profit gains, according to a set of company surveys and official European data. In McKinsey’s 2026 survey, 6% of respondents said AI contributed at least 5% of their company’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), while Eurostat recorded AI use at 20% of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees in 2025.
McKinsey’s 2026 State of AI survey included 1,719 respondents. As reported by The Register and TechTimes, 37% said AI had some effect on their company’s EBIT, roughly unchanged from the prior year. The 6% classified as “high performers” said AI accounted for at least 5% of EBIT. These are executive survey responses, not audited financial results, and the findings describe respondents’ reported attribution of business impact.
Boston Consulting Group’s 2025 study of 1,250 companies found a comparable concentration of returns: 5% were getting value from AI at scale, while 60% reported no material value. BCG reported that leaders had deployed 62% of their AI initiatives, compared with 12% among lagging companies. The surveys use different definitions and samples, so their percentages should not be treated as direct measurements of the same group.
Official Eurostat data show adoption continuing to spread in Europe. In 2025, 20.0% of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology, up from 13.5% in 2024. The figure was 55% for large enterprises and 17% for small ones. Those statistics measure use, not whether AI improved profits.
Most companies adopt AI few report profit gains
AI use is spreading, but surveys show substantial financial returns concentrated among a small share of companies. Adoption measures use, not proven profit impact.
Adoption is not profit
The surveys measure different things and should not be treated as direct comparisons.
- EU adoption rose from 13.5% in 2024 to 20.0% in 2025.
- Use reached 55% among large enterprises and 17% among small ones.
- McKinsey’s 6% attributed at least 5% of EBIT to AI.
- BCG found 60% reported no material value from AI.
Deployment remains uneven
Broader use of AI agents is one emerging part of the story.
Read the signals carefully
Survey findings describe reported experiences and expectations, not audited outcomes.
Reported gains
80% of respondents who use AI said it raised productivity; this is a perception, not a verified gain.
Expected cuts
39% expected job cuts, up from 32% in the previous survey. These are expectations, not actual losses.
Adoption Has Outpaced Financial Returns
The figures point to a gap between trying AI and changing business results. Adoption rates count whether a company uses AI; profit measures ask whether that use has affected costs, revenue or other financial outcomes. A company can run pilots or use AI for limited tasks without seeing a material effect across its operations.
That gap matters to executives deciding where to spend, and to workers whose jobs may change as software takes on more steps in a process. McKinsey reported that 80% of respondents who use AI said it raised their productivity. At the same time, 39% expected job cuts, up from 32% in the previous survey. These are reported perceptions and expectations, not verified productivity gains or a count of actual job losses. The source account also says cuts in the prior year fell short of what respondents had expected.
The results suggest that reported adoption alone is a weak guide to financial impact. The studies associate stronger outcomes with broader deployment and changes to how work is organized, but they do not establish that any single approach will produce the same returns at other companies.
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From Digital Tools to Delegated Tasks
Earlier digital transformation efforts often moved paper processes into software while leaving people responsible for interpreting each case and deciding what to do next. The newer AI proposition is that software can handle parts of that work: for example, reading an invoice, checking it against a contract, flagging an exception or drafting a response. AI agents are systems designed to take multiple steps toward a task, subject to limits set by an organization.
Companies are experimenting with that model, though reported deployment remains uneven. McKinsey’s survey found that among respondents at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue, 40% said their organizations were scaling AI agents, up from 27%. BCG respondents said agents accounted for about 17% of AI value already and expected the share to reach 29% by 2028. These are survey findings and expectations, not independently verified measures of agent performance.
Barriers include practical readiness as well as technology. Eurostat data show that among EU enterprises that considered AI but did not use it, 71% cited a lack of relevant expertise. Gartner forecasts that more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by the end of 2027 because of costs, unclear value or weak risk controls. It also forecasts that organizations will abandon 60% of AI projects that lack AI-ready data. These are forecasts, not counts of cancellations that have already occurred.
“80% of respondents who use AI said it raised their productivity.”
— McKinsey 2026 State of AI survey respondents, as reported by The Register and TechTimes
Profit Attribution Remains Unverified
The survey results do not show that AI alone caused the reported financial effects. Respondents may use different methods to attribute EBIT changes to AI, and the figures are self-reported. The supplied material does not provide audited company-level results that would let readers compare those claims with financial statements.
The surveys also differ in timing, sample and definitions. McKinsey’s 6% figure describes respondents who attributed at least 5% of EBIT to AI; BCG’s 5% describes companies it classified as getting value at scale. Neither number establishes the share of all companies worldwide that have achieved a particular return. The precise financial impact of agent deployments, and the extent to which expected job cuts will occur, remain unclear.
Watch for Results Beyond Pilots
The next evidence to watch is whether companies turn trials into sustained, measured use across full workflows. Businesses will need to show how they define value, what tasks AI systems can perform, when a person reviews the result and how errors or costs are tracked. The survey findings do not identify a single formula that guarantees returns.
Gartner’s cancellation forecast sets one milestone: the firm expects more than 40% of agentic AI projects to be cancelled by the end of 2027. Future survey rounds and company disclosures may show whether agent use expands and whether the reported profit gap narrows. Until then, adoption figures describe where AI is being used; they do not establish who is earning a return.
Key Questions
What does the 6% figure measure?
It is the share of respondents in McKinsey’s 2026 survey who said AI accounted for at least 5% of their company’s EBIT. The figure is based on survey responses, not audited financial statements.
How many EU companies used AI in 2025?
Eurostat reported that 20.0% of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees used at least one AI technology in 2025, up from 13.5% in 2024. The data measure use, not profit impact.
Why do the McKinsey and BCG percentages differ?
The studies used different samples, dates and definitions. McKinsey’s 6% refers to respondents attributing at least 5% of EBIT to AI; BCG’s 5% refers to companies classified as getting value at scale. They are related indicators, not directly comparable measurements.
Are AI agents already producing large returns?
Some survey respondents report value from agents, and BCG respondents expect their share of AI value to rise by 2028. The supplied material does not provide audited evidence that agents produce large returns across companies.
Will AI lead to widespread job cuts?
In McKinsey’s survey, 39% of respondents expected job cuts, up from 32% previously. That is an expectation, not a count of layoffs; the source account says cuts in the previous year fell short of respondents’ earlier expectations.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
