August 2026
PYMNTS Data Books

Enterprise AI Gains Ground, but Scale Remains Uneven

Five data points on where new AI is scaling, what firms say it delivers and why budgets keep rising

Header image for the August 2026 PYMNTS Intellignence Enterprise AI Data Book. PYMNTS Intelligence examines enterprise AI adoption, performance, payback periods and spending plans at large U.S. companies.

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    Newer AI tools have moved deepest into data and technology, while firms report strong results and keep raising budgets despite long payback timelines. These five data points show where adoption is scaling, how executives judge performance and why investment is still moving ahead.

    AI Adoption Deepens as Results Build Confidence

    Data Leads Deployment

    Ninety-five percent of financial services firms report broad or embedded use of new AI in data and technology. The share is 84% for healthcare firms and 81% for media firms.

    Results Earn Confidence

    Ninety-five percent of financial services and healthcare firms rate new AI as very or extremely effective in the functions where they use it. Media firms aren’t far behind, at 86%.

    Performance and Payback

    Expectations Get Beaten

    Eighty-seven percent of firms say new AI performed better than expected on competitive position, the highest of the 20 goals measured. Better-than-expected ratings led on every goal.

    Payback Takes Time

    Sixty-three percent of healthcare firms place AI payback at five to six years, along with 62% of media firms and 50% of financial services firms. At the same time, 90% to 100% rate recent ROI as positive.

    AI Investment Keeps Moving

    Budgets Keep Climbing

    Eighty-four percent of healthcare firms expect to increase new spending on the technology over the next 12 months. For financial services firms, 80% say the same, as do 81% of media firms. No firm expects a reduction.

    Methodology

    This Data Book is based on the August 2026 edition of the Enterprise AI Benchmark Report series. PYMNTS Intelligence surveyed 60 verified senior technology executives who serve as primary AI decision-makers at U.S. enterprises with at least $1 billion in annual revenue. Respondents worked in the financial services and insurance, healthcare and medical, and media services and advertising industries. The survey was fielded in June 2026. “New forms of AI” refers to tools released after November 2022 that rely on large language models and agentic AI.

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    PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE

    PYMNTS Intelligence is a leading global data and analytics platform that uses proprietary data and methods to provide actionable insights on what’s now and what’s next in payments, commerce and the digital economy. Its team of data scientists includes leading economists, econometricians, survey experts, financial analysts and marketing scientists with deep experience in the application of data to the issues that define the future of the digital transformation of the global economy. This multilingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world’s leading publicly traded and privately held firms.

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