AI Success: What the Top 6% Do Differently
Nearly 90 percent of companies use AI, yet only 6 percent see a significant financial impact. Verena Gründel breaks down what AI high performers do differently and what other companies can learn from them.
AI in Business: The Latest Figures from BCG and McKinsey
BCG and McKinsey agree. While nearly 90 percent of companies use AI, according to both firms, only 6% derive significant financial benefits from it. BCG states that only 6 percent of companies generate significant value in the form of reduced costs or increased revenue. McKinsey reports that just 6 percent attribute at least 5 percent of their EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) to AI usage.
Both firms note that this percentage has remained virtually unchanged since 2025. The insights of these high performers do not seem to have spread to the broader economy yet. We want to change that. That’s why we’ll be discussing this topic in many sessions at DMEXCO.
But first, let me briefly summarize here what the two consulting firms have discovered about the factors for success:
- Instead of merely integrating AI into existing workflows, high performers fundamentally redesign their workflows and structure processes around AI-driven decisions.
- They don’t measure success in hours saved. They link their AI initiatives directly to the income statement by, for example, reducing spending on service providers or increasing throughput.
- Top performers do not get lost in countless pilot projects but aggressively focus on a few core areas with the highest potential.
- Senior executives at these organizations demonstrate genuine ownership and commitment to AI initiatives; they serve as role models and ensure ongoing funding.
- While most companies use AI primarily to increase efficiency, high performers also pursue growth and innovation goals.
- They use a broader range of tools, particularly AI agents, and increasingly rely on in-house software development.
- They also actively manage the costs of tokens and computing power to ensure the cost-effectiveness of their solutions.
Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem quite that simple.
If you want to dive deeper and get more hands-on, I highly recommend our panel “When Intelligence Scales: Turning AI into Real Competitive Advantage” (Day 1, Center Stage), featuring Gamma, IBM, Meta, Luquom, Taxfix, and Digiday.
