The Widening AI Value Gap
A small group of AI future-built firms is pulling away by reinvesting AI gains into people and technology capabilities and by moving first on agents, widening a value gap that laggards must act quickly to close.
Summary
Only 5% of firms worldwide are AI future-built, 35% are scaling AI and 60% see hardly any material value despite substantial investment. Future-built firms achieve five times the revenue increases and three times the cost reductions of others, enough to drive shareholder returns, because they apply AI to innovation and reinvention as well as efficiency. They reinvest returns, planning 26% more IT spend, and lead on agents, which rise from 17% of AI value in 2025 to 29% by 2028. The playbook is open to all, but time is short.
Editor's opinion
A small group of AI future-built firms is pulling away by reinvesting AI gains into people and technology capabilities, widening a value gap that laggards must act quickly to close.
Key concepts
AI future-built companies · AI value gap · Agentic AI · Reinvestment of AI returns