The AI Winners Are Pulling Away. How Can Your Company Catch Up?

The AI Winners Are Pulling Away. How Can Your Company Catch Up?

Artificial intelligence has become a top priority for business leaders. But the value it delivers remains elusive for most.

BCG’s new global study of 1,250 firms shows a striking divide. Just 5% of companies are generating real value from AI at scale—achieving up to five times the revenue increases and three times the cost reductions that other companies get from AI. Meanwhile, a full 60% of companies report little or no impact, despite major investments. Another 35% are starting to see results, but many admit they aren’t moving nearly fast enough.

The gap is clear, and it’s widening, led by a small group of companies that have the vision, capabilities, and operating models to turn AI into a true driver of innovation and growth.

What AI Leaders Are Doing Right

So what sets the leaders apart? The companies capturing outsized value—what we call future-built firms—have put the right foundations in place. They don’t just use AI to automate tasks; they use it to reinvent how the business runs.

The payoff is significant. Future-built companies generate 1.7 times higher revenue growth and deliver 3.6 times greater total shareholder return than their peers. They’ve widened the gap by reinvesting early gains into new capabilities, tools, and innovations—compounding their advantage year after year. Much of this value shows up in the core of the business, particularly in R&D, sales and marketing, manufacturing, and IT.

Future-built companies generate 1.7 times higher revenue growth than their peers, and they deliver 3.6 times greater total shareholder return.

One reason the gap is expanding so quickly is the rise of agentic AI. Unlike traditional systems, agents combine predictive and generative capabilities with the ability to act autonomously. In effect, they operate as “digital workers,” reshaping core workflows rather than just improving efficiency at the margins.

The pace of progress has been remarkable. Hardly mentioned in 2024, agents already account for 17% of AI’s total value in 2025. That share is projected to climb to 29% by 2028 as future-built firms embed them across the enterprise. For these leaders, agents are not experiments—they’re becoming part of how the business runs every day.

What Future-Built Firms Do Differently

Future-built companies don’t stumble into success with AI—they follow a clear playbook. BCG’s research points to five strategies that consistently separate leaders from the rest:

  • Pursue a multiyear strategic AI ambition. Future-built firms approach AI as a board- and CEO-sponsored priority with a fully funded vision and roadmap. They don’t dabble in pilots—they commit to scaling AI across the enterprise with measurable business targets.
  • Reshape and invent with impact. Instead of tinkering at the edges, leaders reinvent workflows end-to-end and create entirely new ones. They prioritize high-ROI areas and rigorously track results to ensure AI is fueling growth, not just efficiency.
  • Transform to an AI-first operating model. Successful companies embed AI into how the business operates. They balance strong leadership with shared ownership between business and IT, enabling decentralized execution while keeping accountability clear.
  • Secure and enable the necessary talent. More than half the workforce at future-built companies has been upskilled for AI. These firms anticipate new roles, invest in training, and partner broadly to ensure human–AI collaboration becomes business as usual.
  • Build a fit-for-purpose tech and data foundation. Leaders invest in flexible, modular platforms and governed enterprise data that make AI scalable. By leveraging reusable agents and interoperable architectures, they ensure value can spread across functions.

The roadmap for generating value from AI is clear, and a small group of future-built companies is already proving it works. For the rest, the challenge isn’t about technology so much as leadership, operating models, and speed.

Those who act decisively now—scaling beyond pilots, investing in talent, and embedding AI across core workflows—will be positioned to capture growth and resilience for years to come. Those who don’t risk being left farther behind.


A Must-Attend LinkedIn Live Event

Article content

Join us live from Dreamforce 2025 for a conversation on how AI is transforming the commercial engine—from agentic sales assistants and adaptive marketing to GenAI-powered customer service. As sales, marketing, and service teams race to turn AI potential into performance, we’ll unpack the use cases delivering real results, the leadership lessons emerging across industries, and what’s next as agentic AI redefines how work gets done.

Whether you’re piloting new tools or scaling AI across your revenue functions, this is your pulse check on what it takes to lead—and win—in the era of AI.


More of our top reads on capturing value with AI:

Article content



Scott Hebner

Principal Analyst, Agentic AI & Decision Intelligence | CMO Advisor | Host, Next Frontiers of AI Podcast

9h

This study is exceptionally well done and with 1,250 respondents well sourced. Lots to learn from it. Vladimir Lukic recently joined the next frontier of AI podcast to discuss its findings. Well worth a watch or listen. Helps to put the key takeaways into a strategic perspective. See below. https://www.thecube.net/events/program/the-next-frontiers-of-ai/9708a257-46e5-474f-8822-4ceb19aefdc6

Like
Reply
Henrique Manhao

Sr. IT Manager at HP Hood LLC

5d

Thank you for sharing. Very informative information.

Like
Reply
Hardeep Singh

Aspiring Marketing Consultant | Marketing Analyst & Research Enthusiast | SEO & Digital Strategy | McKinsey Forward & BCG Simulations | Finalist at IIM, SRCC, L’Oréal & HUL | Sharing AI & Marketing Insights

6d

Thoughtful analysis. 👏

Like
Reply
Alex Rublevsky

Strategic Marketing Consultant | Human-Centered Growth Systems | Digital Strategy & Performance

1w

I see poor AI adoption everywhere. For many CEOs, it’s become an idea fixe — a shiny symbol of innovation in companies where the basic business processes are still chaotic. People now use AI to write emails, commercial offers, even strategies. Any professional can instantly recognize generated content. It cheapens the brand and raises questions about competence. The decision to implement an AI tool should come from the line specialist, not the executive. They’re the ones who understand what really slows down their workflow, what data to feed the model, and how to get real value from it.

Like
Reply

To view or add a comment, sign in

More articles by Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Explore content categories