A survey published in August 2026, covering 1,719 executives and specialists across 97 countries, paints a clear picture. Roughly nine in ten companies apply AI in at least one business area, and four in five report productivity gains. The financial side looks different. Only about a third see any effect on operating profit, and merely six percent can put a number on it.
What mid-sized companies should take from this
Time saved does not turn into earnings by itself. It does so only once it shows up as shorter lead times, lower error costs, or capacity needed elsewhere. Where AI sits beside existing workflows as an extra tool, the result is convenience. Where it is embedded in the process, in the ERP system, in procurement, in service orders, the result becomes measurable.
Our advice is to define a single, easily collected metric before starting, and to see one workflow through properly rather than beginning five at once. Running costs belong in the business case from day one.