7 Factors That Drive Returns on AI Investments, According to a New Survey.

The article focuses on seven factors that drive returns on artificial intelligence (AI) investments, based on a late 2025–early 2026 survey of over 1,000 global senior executives and interviews with technology leaders. It finds that most organizations report moderate to high value from AI, with value driven less by technology sophistication and more by clear leadership goals, accountability, and rigorous measurement practices. Key factors include defining the type of value sought, leveraging AI in both products and processes, using diverse AI tools beyond generative AI, adopting structured value frameworks, involving finance functions in value certification, training users and executives, and following an AI economic maturity model that stages organizations from unmeasured pilots to formal external reporting. The study emphasizes that achieving economic returns from AI is primarily a management challenge rather than a technical one. [Extracted from the article]