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McKinsey’s 2026 survey found that 6 percent of respondents said AI contributed at least 5 percent of their company’s EBIT, while 37 percent reported some effect on EBIT. BCG’s separate survey also found a small group capturing value at scale, with most respondents reporting no material value.
Only 6 percent of respondents to McKinsey’s 2026 AI survey said AI contributed at least 5 percent of their company’s earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT, even as more companies adopt the technology. The finding, reported by The Register and TechTimes, highlights a gap between using AI and turning it into a measurable financial result.
In the McKinsey survey of 1,719 respondents, 37 percent said AI had some effect on their company’s EBIT, a share that was about the same as the previous year. The 6 percent group is narrower: respondents described AI’s impact as significant and attributed at least 5 percent of EBIT to it. These are self-reported survey results, not audited company accounts.
A separate Boston Consulting Group study of 1,250 companies, published in September 2025, found a similar divide. BCG said 5 percent of companies were generating value from AI at scale, while 60 percent reported no material value. The studies use different definitions and survey populations, so their percentages should not be treated as directly comparable.
Adoption figures measure a different thing. Eurostat reported that 20 percent of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025, up from 13.5 percent in 2024. Use was reported by 55 percent of large enterprises and 17 percent of small ones. Those figures track whether companies use AI, not whether it raises profits.
Why Do Only About 6 Percent of Companies Profit From AI?
AI use is growing, but surveys find that significant profit contributions remain uncommon. Using AI and turning it into measurable business results are different things.
Adoption is not a profit measure
The surveys track different things, and their results are self-reported.
A narrow profit threshold
Six percent of respondents said AI contributed at least 5% of company EBIT and described the impact as significant.
Value at scale is rare
Five percent of surveyed companies were generating value from AI at scale.
Use is more widespread
Twenty percent of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025. That measures adoption, not profit.
From trials to routine work
Many projects still need to move into everyday workflows before companies can assess their business value.
- Among EU firms that considered AI but did not use it, 71% cited a lack of expertise.
- Gartner forecasts that cost, unclear value, and weak risk controls could lead to project cancellations.
- Gartner also forecasts that organizations will abandon some projects that lack AI-ready data.
- BCG leaders had deployed 62% of their AI initiatives, compared with 12% among laggards.
- That association does not prove deployment alone causes stronger returns.
- AI agents can handle multiple task steps within limits set by an organization.
What workers and businesses report
Reported productivity gains and expectations of job cuts describe survey responses, not economy-wide outcomes.
- 80% of McKinsey respondents who use AI said it improved their productivity.
- 39% expected their companies to reduce staff because of AI, up from 32% in the prior survey.
- Earlier expectations of job cuts exceeded the cuts that followed, according to the report.
Adoption Has Not Closed the Value Gap
The figures matter because they distinguish trying AI from changing business results. A company may use chatbots or generative tools without changing how work moves through the business, how much it costs, or how quickly it is completed. The survey results suggest that broad adoption alone does not establish a financial return.
BCG’s study points to a difference in execution: it reported that companies it classified as leaders had deployed 62 percent of their AI initiatives, compared with 12 percent among laggards. That association does not prove deployment by itself causes stronger returns. It does indicate that many projects remain at the pilot stage while a smaller group advances more initiatives into use.
For employees, the evidence is mixed. 80 percent of McKinsey respondents who use AI said it improved their productivity. At the same time, 39 percent expected their companies to reduce staff because of AI, up from 32 percent in the prior survey. The report also said earlier expectations of job cuts had exceeded the cuts that followed. These figures describe respondents’ experiences and expectations, not a measured forecast of economy-wide employment.
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From Digitized Steps to AI Agents
Earlier digital transformation programmes often moved paper processes onto software while leaving people to review cases and make decisions at each step. Newer AI systems can handle parts of that work, such as sorting an email, reading an invoice, checking information against a contract, or drafting a response. AI agents are designed to take multiple steps toward a task, within limits set by an organization.
BCG respondents said agents already accounted for about 17 percent of their AI value and expected that share to reach 29 percent by 2028. McKinsey’s survey, as reported by The Register and TechTimes, found that 40 percent of respondents at companies with more than $1 billion in revenue said they were scaling agents, up from 27 percent a year earlier. The figures reflect reported activity and expectations; they do not establish that agents will deliver the projected share of value.
Barriers remain. Among EU firms that considered AI but did not use it, 71 percent cited a lack of expertise, according to Eurostat. Gartner has forecast that more than 40 percent of agentic AI projects could be cancelled by the end of 2027 because of cost, unclear value, or weak risk controls. It has also forecast that organizations will abandon 60 percent of AI projects that lack AI-ready data. These are forecasts, not counts of projects already cancelled.
“6 percent attributed at least 5 percent of their company’s EBIT to AI.”
— McKinsey survey respondents, as reported by The Register and TechTimes
What the Survey Figures Cannot Show
The surveys rely on respondents’ reports, and the definitions of AI value differ between studies. They do not establish that AI caused a company’s profit change, nor do they provide a single comparable measure across all firms. The 6 percent result refers to respondents meeting McKinsey’s threshold; it should not be read as an audited share of every company worldwide.
It is also unclear how many projects will reach sustained use, how much reported productivity translates into financial gains, or how AI-related job expectations will compare with actual staffing changes. Gartner’s cancellation figures are projections, and BCG’s expected agent value through 2028 is an expectation reported by survey participants.
Whether Pilots Reach Routine Work
The next test for companies is whether projects move beyond trials into regular, measurable workflows. Gartner’s forecast points to cost, unclear business value, risk controls, and data readiness as factors that could lead organizations to stop projects. Company-level results over time will show whether the survey gap narrows.
For now, the reported evidence supports a limited conclusion: AI use is growing, but significant profit contributions remain uncommon in these surveys. Future surveys and company disclosures may clarify whether more deployments produce sustained gains and how those gains affect workers.
Key Questions
What does the 6 percent figure measure?
It is the share of McKinsey’s 2026 survey respondents who said AI contributed at least 5 percent of their company’s EBIT and described the impact as significant. It is a self-reported survey result.
Does 6 percent mean only 6 percent of companies use AI?
No. The figure concerns reported profit impact, not adoption. Eurostat found that 20 percent of EU enterprises with at least 10 employees used AI in 2025.
Why do the McKinsey and BCG percentages differ?
The studies surveyed different groups and used different measures. McKinsey’s 6 percent figure is tied to a stated EBIT threshold; BCG reported that 5 percent of its surveyed companies generated value at scale. The figures are similar in scale but are not directly interchangeable.
Are AI agents already producing most of the reported value?
No. BCG respondents said agents accounted for about 17 percent of AI value, and expected that share to reach 29 percent by 2028. The later figure is an expectation, not a confirmed outcome.
What do the findings say about jobs?
McKinsey respondents who use AI often reported higher productivity, while a larger share than the prior year expected job cuts. Those expectations are not the same as actual job losses; the report said previous expectations of cuts had exceeded the cuts that followed.
Source: Thorsten Meyer AI
