AI in Action Beyond Experimentation to Transform Industry 2025

2.1 The state of AI adoption across industries, functions and organizations To understand the current state of genAI adoption, this paper examines three dimensions: industry adoption, functional adoption and organizational adoption. Investments in AI vary across industries, with some leading in adoption and others accelerating quickly Adoption of AI technologies, as reflected in AI spending, is significantly advanced in some industries (telecommunications, financial services and consumer industries), while others are rapidly catching up with accelerated investments (see Figure 1). This represents a mix of priorities for AI adoption, as discussed in the previous section. Industries that rely heavily on human capital – such as healthcare, financial services, media entertainment and sport, consumer industries and some professional services – are at the forefront of genAI spending.21,22 GenAI is expected to transform a broad array of knowledge-driven, human-centric industries. It is more prominent in these industries because it excels at processing unstructured data and enabling creativity, personalization and automation. These industries, which have some of the highest levels of AI investment, rely heavily on human expertise and decision-making and can benefit from genAI’s ability to create content and surface insights. Research also shows that companies in these industries recognize AI’s potential to boost operational efficiency and productivity, enhance customer experiences and sharpen their long-term competitive edge in rapidly evolving markets.23,24 Spend in AI platforms by industry 2023-2024 FIGURE 1 AI platforms spend by industry, 2023-2024e Growth in spend, spend/revenues and total AI platforms spend Bubble size: total AI platforms spend (2024e) AI platforms spend/total revenues (2024e)Growth in AI platforms spend (2023-2024e) 0%10%20%30%50%80% 0.00% 0.01% 0.02% 0.03% 0.04% 0.05% 0.06% 0.08%40%70% 60% 0.07% Mining & metalsAutomotive & mobility Consumer industries ChemicalsEnergy technology Travel & tourism Advanced manufacturingAviation & aerospaceTelecommunications HealthcareFinancial services Technology Media, entertainment & sport Source: Accenture Research. Data from Accenture’s G2000 list. AI platforms spend from IDC (2023-2024e). Revenues from Capital IQ S&P (2023-2024e). Telecommunications provide voice, data and communication services (e.g. AT&T, Telefonica). Technology includes high tech, which develop cutting-edge electronics, hardware and digital solutions (e.g. Apple, Samsung), software and platforms, which create software applications and online platform-based services (e.g. Alphabet, Microsoft), and IT services, which offer technology consulting and system integration (e.g. IBM, Accenture). Industries that rely heavily on human capital are at the forefront of genAI spending. AI Governance Alliance: Transformation of Industries in the Age of AI 10