- Despite global leadership in AI, respondents from the UK and US are the least optimistic about realising the benefits of AI quickly.
- France ranks 3e among the most optimistic about the future of AI
- Countries that have invested in AI skills are more optimistic about the technology.
- Companies that are architecturally ready and have strong sustainability planning in place are found to correlate with AI optimism.
The study reveals that optimism about artificial intelligence (AI) is a direct indicator of the maturity of an organization’s AI strategy. It reveals that companies with revenues between $200 million and $500 million are the most optimistic about AI, while the United Kingdom and the United States are the least optimistic. France ranks 3e, the study indicates that it is further ahead than expected.
IFS Global AI Optimism Ranking by Country
IFS Global Ranking of AI Optimism by Company Size
Optimism and AI readiness by company size
When it comes to AI, it’s easy to assume that the more financial resources available, the greater the optimism about the possibilities of AI. However, the study found that companies with revenues greater than $500 million ranked only third in terms of optimism. This is due to a clear polarization in strategy, data readiness, and skills. Indeed, the polarization in AI readiness led 25% of these companies to believe that the benefits of AI will materialize within 12 months, while laggards don’t expect to see the benefits for at least three years. Large companies showed the widest gap in time to benefits of any company size group surveyed.
In contrast, the survey shows that mid-sized companies ($50 million to $200 million) are less optimistic about AI for the simple reason that they have fewer resources and skills to deploy today. They are therefore planning over a longer period of time to reap the benefits of a maturing technology.
For Christian Pedersen, Chief Product Officer, IFS : “At first glance, the lack of optimism among some respondents may suggest that we are on the verge of disillusionment, especially after the general hype that AI has enjoyed for much of the last 18 months. In reality, we are seeing business differentiation driven by AI. Companies that have built a strong data foundation, invested in skills, and integrated sustainability into their strategy are optimistic because they can see the benefits coming quickly. It is critical that leaders view AI as a strategy, not a tool.”
Factors that pave the way for AI
When it comes to the factors driving AI optimism, the study suggests that there is a direct correlation between companies’ architectural readiness and their overall optimism about the technology. Respondents who report being more architecturally prepared are more likely to be optimistic about AI. This indicates that companies with a strong cloud foundation are further along in their AI journey and are more likely to believe that the tangible benefits of the technology will become a reality sooner.
For Mr. Pedersen : “Our research highlights a market split between AI adopters and non-adopters. There is a ‘bandwagon’ phenomenon fueling boards’ desire to implement AI programs. McKinsey found that AI could be the key to unlocking $4,4 trillion in additional profits per year for companies, increasing the pressure to adopt it. Without a clear direction and strategy, AI programs are floundering, making the end result seem further away than it should be.”
The emergence of industrial AI in the service of productivity, innovation and sustainable development
The areas where decision-makers expect AI to have the greatest impact are innovative products and services (31%) and data accessibility (30%), followed closely by cost reduction (29%). Interestingly, at the national level, the United States (32%) and Germany (31%) are the only countries most likely to believe AI will drive continued business growth.
The survey found a positive correlation between skills and AI optimism. Countries that are more likely to report investing heavily in skills over the past several years are generally more optimistic about AI. France (49%), the United Arab Emirates (53%), Norway (48%), Australia (46%), Sweden (46%) and Japan (45%) top the list.
Sustainability planning also directly correlates with overall AI optimism. The less extensive a country’s sustainability strategy is on AI, the less likely it is to be optimistic about AI in general. Respondents from the UK (5%), Canada (6%), Denmark (6%) and Finland (4%) are the least likely to have an AI sustainability strategy in place and are all in the bottom half of the optimism rankings.
For Mr. Pedersen: “The high expectations for AI are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how it is supposed to generate value. The real power lies in industrial AI, where data flows into every part of your business, combining structured and interconnected data sets to uncover insights, optimize every process, and blend the digital with the physical world. That’s where the real value lies. If a company doesn’t have a strategy to get there, it needs a partner who can guide it.”
Research methodology :
Censuswide surveyed 1.709 decision-makers/presidents/SVPs/directors in manufacturing, telecommunications, aerospace and defense, services, construction and engineering, or energy and resources at companies with annual revenues of $50 million or more (aged 18 or older) in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, France, United Arab Emirates, Norway, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.