Bengaluru: Over the next 12 months, the global average planned AI investment will be $186 million, as leaders look to maintain AI as a top priority even during recession.
KPMG International's Global AI Pulse Q1 2026 study highlights that 64 per cent report meaningful AI business value, but many struggle with value measurement, governance agility, data privacy, cybersecurity and workforce resistance.
Only 11 per cent are pulling ahead by scaling AI agents across functions and coordinating them across workflows, and 82 per cent of AI leaders report clear business value from AI, compared to 62 per cent non-leaders.
The report mentions that AI is entering a new phase where scaling is expected, and capability is advancing faster than enterprise readiness. AI is becoming embedded in how work is executed, decisions are made, and systems are coordinated. As this shift accelerates, organisations are moving beyond deployment toward redesigning how the enterprise operates.
AI generates most value in customer service, says reportThough expectations for AI capability are rising rapidly, many organisations have not yet built the operating models, governance and workforce capability required to support AI.
With 66 per cent, AI agents are most-commonly deployed in Technology and IT for accelerating code development, Operations (55 per cent) for orchestrating workflows, Marketing and Sales (43 per cent) for personalised customer engagement. AI agents are already playing a central role in coordinating work across functions. The strongest adoption is in automating workflows, with Energy and Natural Resources (63 per cent), Life Sciences (62 per cent), and Industrial Manufacturing and Automotive (55 per cent) leading.
However, the study points out that more advanced capabilities to coordinate decisions and workflows remain less-developed.
The inaugural Global AI Pulse draws on insights from 2,110 senior executives across 20 countries, including India.
Purushothman KG, Partner and Head of Artificial Intelligence, KPMG in India, said, "In India, the AI conversation has decisively moved beyond experimentation. Enterprises are investing with confidence, but execution is now the real differentiator. Our Global AI Pulse Q1 2026 survey shows that value is created by organisations that redesign how work gets done, embedding AI and agentic systems into workflows, governance and decision-making. For India's digital, platform-led economy, aligning technology, trust and workforce capability as a single operating system will be critical to translating AI momentum into sustained performance and growth."