New report reveals leaders are seeing returns from GenAI investments
Spending on generative AI investments is expected to increase in the next year as adoption becomes mainstream and earlier initiatives yield positive returns, according to a new study.
Findings from the Wharton Human-AI Research (WHAIR) centre and the GBK Collective revealed that GenAI adoption is rapidly transitioning from pilot projects to mainstream enterprise adoption.
It found that 82% of leaders in the US are now using the technology weekly and 46% daily. Among HR leaders, daily use of GenAI has reached 51%, an increase of 19 percentage points from a year ago.
As GenAI receives mainstream adoption, 88% of enterprise leaders are expecting spending on GenAI investments to go up in the next 12 months. Another 62% said they are expecting a double-digit growth in the next two to five years.
It comes as three in four leaders report positive returns on their GenAI investments, according to the report.
New phase of GenAI adoption
Experts noted that the findings signal a new phase of Generative AI in workplaces.
"Leaders are no longer content to run pilots. They want proof," said Sonny Tambe, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, and Faculty Co-Director of WHAIR, in a statement.
"GenAI is being held to the same standards as other major investments, and that is a sign of increasing maturity."
Three in four leaders said they are already tracking GenAI ROI, focusing on productivity gains and incremental profit.
"The next phase is not about adoption; it is about advantage," said Jeremy Korst, Partner with GBK Collective. "The companies that thrive will be those that pair measurable ROI with responsible integration and build a culture where people have the skills to grow with AI."
