Nearly three-quarters of large enterprises use AI regularly or across most business processes, but only 10 per cent say AI is core to how their business operates, a global survey has found. The gap suggests adoption is no longer the challenge - organisational transformation is.
The 2026 Global Enterprise AI Report from Publicis Sapient, announced at VivaTech in Paris, surveyed 1,550 AI decision-makers across the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia and the UAE between April 29 and May 14, 2026. Respondents work at organisations with at least 500 employees and US$100 million in annual revenue.
The research found 47 per cent believe AI is already capable of meeting today's business needs, yet 42 per cent say their organisations are not set up to capture its value. Only 38 per cent say AI is fundamentally changing how their business operates, and 22 per cent identify the way their organisation operates as the primary barrier to AI success.
"The enterprise was not designed for the speed, scale and autonomy that AI makes possible," said Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient. "Many organisations have successfully deployed AI, but deployment alone does not create advantage."
Australia's results were described as steady but uneven. Some 53 per cent of Australian respondents say AI is highly or fully embedded into workflows, while 38 per cent say AI is fundamentally changing how the business operates. The UK led surveyed markets on transformation, with 51 per cent reporting fundamental change.
"Australian organisations are under pressure to move faster on AI, and while businesses are increasingly embedding AI into workflows, that momentum stalls if large portions of IT budgets remain focused on maintaining legacy systems," said Harshu Deshpande, VP, Product and Engineering Lead Australia at Publicis Sapient. "Modernising these environments to strengthen digital foundations is critical to supporting the next phase of AI adoption."
Expectations continue to outpace readiness across every market surveyed. In the US, 71 per cent expect significant progress in scaling AI over the next 12 to 24 months, yet only 20 per cent say their organisations are fully equipped today to meet those expectations.
The report concludes that enterprise AI success will increasingly depend on modernising legacy systems, connecting workflows across functions and redesigning operating models around AI.