Signal AI takes a third of digital budgets while returns stay unproven

Summary

AI already dominates technology budgets, taking 36% of spending on digital initiatives. That share puts it in competition with data architecture and cybersecurity, areas that are typically underfunded. It has proved difficult to connect AI spending to higher revenue or lower costs, and very few organisations describe their AI adoption as mature. Even so, 74% of respondents to a global survey in 2025 called AI a top strategic priority, up from 60% in 2024. Adoption is expected to keep expanding in customer service, marketing, software development and worker productivity more generally.