BCG's AI Radar survey, now in its third year, polled 2,360 executives across 16 markets and nine industries, including 640 CEOs, to gauge sentiment on AI investment and return. The 2026 edition finds corporations expecting to roughly double AI spending as a share of revenue, from 0.8 percent to about 1.7 percent, with 94 percent of companies planning to keep investing even without clear near-term returns.
The report also highlights a notable shift in accountability: nearly three-quarters of CEOs now describe themselves as their company's chief decision-maker on AI, and half say their own job security is tied to how well those investments perform - even though only 6 percent of companies report meaningful value so far in reduced costs or increased revenue.