The companies getting the most from AI are rethinking how work gets done

As companies allocate increasing budgets to artificial intelligence, a surprising paradox emerges: while employees tout AI as a productivity booster, tangible gains in operating profit remain elusive for most firms. A McKinsey survey of 1,719 professionals worldwide reveals that 44% of respondents are expanding AI usage across their organizations, yet only 37% believe AI is significantly impacting earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), a figure unchanged from last year.

Despite these mixed results, the financial champions of AI - the 6% of organizations attributing at least 5% of EBIT to AI - are reshaping their workflows. Nearly three-quarters of these "AI high performers" have fundamentally redesigned their processes, up from 55% last year. This shift is more pronounced in larger companies, with 54% of firms with annual revenue exceeding $1 billion scaling AI enterprise-wide, compared to just 33% of smaller firms.

For finance executives, the data suggests that while adding more AI is relatively straightforward, the real challenge lies in reimagining workflows to fully capitalize on the technology's potential. The next round of AI investment may need to be as much about restructuring processes as it is about acquiring new technology.