Artificial intelligence has left the experimentation phase behind to become a strategic priority within the business tasks of organizations, as reflected in the study The Value of AI 2026, prepared by SAP and Oxford Economics. Among its conclusions, it stands out that the adoption of AI continues to accelerate and organizations are already preparing the next stage of their evolution, based on the implementation of AI agents capable of executing business processes autonomously.
Currently, artificial intelligence already supports 30% of the tasks carried out in companies, compared to 25% registered a year earlier. The forecast is that the pace will accelerate and that figure will reach 48% in the next two years, consolidating AI as an essential component in the day-to-day life of organizations.
From experimentation to execution
The study shows that a stage change is occurring in the maturity of artificial intelligence. Companies are no longer asking whether to adopt this technology, but rather how to scale it within the organization and how to derive value from it.
Intelligent automation and generative AI continue to take hold. In the case of the first, 63% of organizations are already leading or scaling initiatives, a figure that stands at 54%, in the case of generative AI.
Aware of the high impact of agentic AI
Agentic AI is revealed to be the next big priority. Currently, the percentage of companies that are leading or scaling this technology stands at 24%, although 36% are already experimenting with it.
Although its level of adoption is still limited, organizations recognize the transformative potential of agentic AI. Eight in ten (83%) consider that it will have a moderate or very high impact on the transformation of their business and almost two thirds (64%) have already developed pilot projects in this area.
Another element that confirms that this technology is still in an initial phase is that only 3% of companies say they are fully prepared for agentic AI, while the majority say they are partially prepared or not prepared at all.
Progress is made project by project
Although the number of organizations approaching artificial intelligence from a strategic perspective is increasing, adoption continues to occur primarily through isolated initiatives.
41% of companies say they prioritize investments in AI on a case-by-case basis, while only 17% follow a strategic and transversal approach aligned with corporate objectives. However, the study points to a significant evolution: currently only 18% of organizations have more cross-cutting AI deployments than individual use cases, a figure that is expected to increase to 42% in the next two years.
AI is already part of the business strategy
The report reflects that organizations are incorporating AI into their strategic agenda, although there remain significant opportunities for improvement in leadership and governance.
Intelligent automation and generative AI continue to consolidate
73% already have an AI strategy aligned with business objectives and 65% have a specific budget to promote these initiatives. However, less than half (46%) have appointed an AI manager,
Only 41% offer specific training on the capabilities and risks of this technology to their managers and only 33% incorporate AI adoption indicators among their leadership objectives.
«Artificial intelligence is entering a new stage. The challenge for organizations is no longer just to adopt this technology, but to integrate it strategically, connecting it with their business processes, their data and a solid governance framework that allows generating value in a secure and scalable way,” says Sean Kask, Chief AI Strategy Officer at SAP.
SAP’s The Value of AI 2026 report is based on a survey of 2,600 executives from organizations in 13 countries.
