Only 8% of Firms Achieve True AI Transformation, Finds Protiviti’s Global Survey
Key barriers to progress include legacy system integration (cited by 30%) and poor data governance.
Only 8% of global organisations have reached the “Transformation” stage of AI adoption, according to Protiviti’s inaugural AI Pulse Survey 2025. The study, based on over 1,000 executives—including 176 C-suite leaders—reveals a striking maturity gap between AI ambition and execution.
While AI investment is gaining traction, 51% of organisations are still stuck in the early stages, experimenting with isolated pilots or evaluating use cases without scaling. Despite this, 85% of respondents report their AI investments are meeting or exceeding expectations, with nearly one in four seeing significantly higher returns than anticipated.
“Our inaugural survey demonstrates that AI success is a complex evolution for businesses worldwide, requiring strategy, patience, and a willingness to rethink the fundamentals of business,” said Sandeep Gupta, Managing Director, Protiviti Member Firm for India.
Tech and BFSI sectors lead global AI maturity—with 52% of tech companies in advanced stages—while manufacturing lags. Key barriers to progress include legacy system integration (cited by 30%) and poor data governance.
“The early promise of AI will remain unfulfilled unless companies operationalize it at scale,” added Dhrubabrata Ghosh Dastidar, Managing Director, Protiviti India.
Protiviti urges businesses to align AI with core objectives, invest in data infrastructure, and move beyond pilots for real transformation.
