Data study ·
New KPMG AI Pulse survey: as AI maturity converges, leading organisations show what deployment at scale requires
- Publication
- KPMG (United Kingdom)
- Author
- Lisa Heneghan
- Published on
- 24 September 2026 · read in the publisher's feed
Summary
The KPMG Global AI Pulse Survey Q3 2026, conducted among 2,131 executives in 20 countries, shows that the most advanced organisations in AI are shifting their focus from adoption to governance, resilience and the link between cost and value. The regional maturity gap has narrowed, with 64% of organisations in the Americas having reached the stage of deployment at scale or beyond, compared with 61% in Asia-Pacific and 56% in EMEA. The average planned AI investment over twelve months reaches $210 million, up from $186 million in the first quarter. 55% of organisations have a formal control layer between models and business uses, a proportion that rises to 86% among those with established ROI. 86% are adapting their cybersecurity to AI-related threats. Only 12% systematically assess the value of AI against its cost, compared with 48% among those with established ROI.
Summary based on the full text of the article.
Read the article on KPMG →Figures cited
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64 %
share of organisations that have reached the stage of deployment at scale or beyond, Americas
organisations in the Americas, Q3 2026 survey, 2,131 executives in 20 countries
« Sixty-four percent of organizations in the Americas are scaling AI or beyond, compared with 61 percent in Asia Pacific and 56 percent in EMEA. »
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61 %
share of organisations at scale or beyond, Asia-Pacific
organisations in Asia-Pacific, Q3 2026 survey
« Sixty-four percent of organizations in the Americas are scaling AI or beyond, compared with 61 percent in Asia Pacific and 56 percent in EMEA. »
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56 %
share of organisations at scale or beyond, EMEA
organisations in EMEA, Q3 2026 survey
« Sixty-four percent of organizations in the Americas are scaling AI or beyond, compared with 61 percent in Asia Pacific and 56 percent in EMEA. »
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210 USD million
average planned AI investment over 12 months
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« US$210 million average planned AI investment over the next 12 months, up from US$186 million in Q1 »
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186 USD million
average planned AI investment, Q1 2026
global organisations, Q1 2026 survey
« US$210 million average planned AI investment over the next 12 months, up from US$186 million in Q1 »
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55 %
share of organisations operating a formal AI control layer (harness layer)
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« 55 percent operate a formal AI harness layer, rising to 86 percent among those reporting established ROI »
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86 %
share of organisations with established ROI operating a formal AI control layer
organisations with established ROI, Q3 2026 survey
« 55 percent operate a formal AI harness layer, rising to 86 percent among those reporting established ROI »
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86 %
share of organisations adapting their cybersecurity to AI-accelerated threats
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« 86 percent are adapting their cybersecurity operating model for AI-accelerated threats »
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12 %
share of organisations systematically assessing the value of AI against its cost
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« 12 percent consistently assess the value of AI against its cost, rising to 48 percent among those already reporting returns »
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48 %
share of organisations with established ROI systematically assessing the value of AI against its cost
organisations with established ROI, Q3 2026 survey
« 12 percent consistently assess the value of AI against its cost, rising to 48 percent among those already reporting returns »
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53 %
share of organisations placing accountability for AI-informed decisions at executive committee level or above
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« Fifty-three percent place accountability for AI-informed decisions at C-suite level or above, including 35 percent with a named executive and 18 percent with the CEO or executive committee. »
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34 %
share of organisations reporting significant adoption of AI agents by employees
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey, up from Q1 (25%)
« 34 percent report significant employee adoption of AI agents, up from 25 percent in Q1. »
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31 %
share of organisations at the experimentation stage with a formal AI control layer
organisations at the experimentation stage, Q3 2026 survey
« The report finds it is in place at 31 percent of organizations in the experimentation stage, 58 percent of those scaling AI and 86 percent of those reporting established ROI. »
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71 %
share of organisations with established ROI including cybersecurity among their AI budget priorities
organisations with established ROI, Q3 2026 survey
« Seventy-one percent of organizations reporting established ROI include cyber and data security among their AI budget priorities, compared with 36 percent of organizations at the experimentation stage. »
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72 %
share of organisations formally considering model sovereignty in their AI decisions
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« Seventy-two percent formally consider model sovereignty in AI decision-making, including 21 percent with an enterprise-wide strategy under regular review. »
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61 %
share of organisations reviewing AI costs at approval
global organisations, Q3 2026 survey
« While 61 percent review AI costs during approval and 59 percent monitor them in operation, only 12 percent consistently assess AI value against cost across the organization. »
Classification
- Country
- Worldwide scope
- Company size
- Large companies
- Industries
- All industries, or industry not specified
- Companies
- KPMG International (study author)
- Keywords
- AI governance, return on investment, cybersecurity, model sovereignty, AI agent adoption, AI maturity
KPMG sells AI services or products: its studies and publications should be read with that interest in mind.
Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to KPMG and its author. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.