73% of enterprises use OpenAI; 65% of executives rank AI as top business priority

Bounteous, a leading digital transformation consultancy, has released a global study titled “The AI Whitespace: Addressing Challenges to Unlock Potential,” exploring how enterprises are adopting AI and where gaps remain in scaling its impact.

The study, based on insights from more than 300 global decision-makers in enterprises with revenues above USD 500 million, found that AI adoption is now near-universal, with 93% of companies reporting expected or better returns on AI investments. Half of them said returns exceeded expectations, signaling AI’s shift from experimentation to tangible value creation.

Generative AI adoption is widespread. While 70% of enterprises use Google platforms and 69% use Microsoft, the standout finding was that 73% reported using OpenAI, while 35% have built their own internal AI platforms. In fact, 95% of respondents rated AI adoption as important, with 65% of executives placing it as the top business priority for the next 12 months.

The study also revealed a disparity in impact across functions: 59% of marketing leaders reported higher-than-expected ROI, compared to 43% of IT leaders. Marketing teams appear to be scaling AI faster, while IT faces greater complexity in enterprise-wide deployments.

Leadership perception, however, does not always match reality. Executives are twice as likely as employees to classify their organizations as “expert” in AI maturity, revealing optimism gaps. Ownership also remains siloed, with 46% placing responsibility under CIO/CTO, and just 3% leveraging cross-functional Centers of Excellence.

Top barriers to scale include compliance risks, knowledge gaps, and lack of trust. Stronger governance, employee enablement, and cross-team collaboration were highlighted as key solutions.

Sector priorities vary:

● Travel & Hospitality (44%) lead in adopting embedded AI features, followed by financial services (39%).

● Retail/Consumer & Dining (34%) lead in enabling workforce productivity, ahead of healthcare (32%).

● Retail (25%) also leads in preparing long-term AI roadmaps.

● Financial Services (17%) and Healthcare (16%) are most focused on engineering custom AI solutions.

Martin Young, EVP of Data & AI at Bounteous, emphasized: “The biggest AI breakthroughs are yet to come. Enterprises must balance experimentation with governance, embed innovation across teams, and treat AI as a long-term investment. Those who act decisively now will capture sustainable, enterprise-wide transformation.”