Executive summary After years of bold investments and high expectations, the conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted decisively from potential to performance. Today, business leaders are demanding clear evidence of how AI delivers measurable value and impact while setting the stage for the next wave of enterprise innovation. To address this, MINDS (Meaningful, Intelligent, Novel, Deployable Solutions) serves as a global showcase of impactful AI applications and enables knowledge exchange of AI-driven transformations across industries, geographies and societies. Drawing on insights from hundreds of applicants and in-depth interviews with the selected 2025 MINDS cohorts, this report distils five key insights that enable successful AI adoption and scaling: 1Insight 1: Harnessing AI as a core part of how organizations work Organizations are embedding AI as a strategic enterprise-wide capability, shifting from tactical use to a reimagining of core processes and long-term purpose. 2 Insight 2: Amplifying strengths when humans and AI work together within a changing workforce Successful AI adoption starts with people and organizations redesigning work to augment human expertise with AI, amplifying specialized capabilities and innovation through collaboration.3 Insight 3: Strengthening data foundations and strategic data sources to advance impact and scale Data quality is the biggest barrier to AI success, so organizations are harnessing various data advantages and pursuing differentiated data strategies essential for scaling AI impact. 4Insight 4: Modernizing the technology stack for advanced AI capabilities Organizations are moving beyond fragmented solutions and investing in unified AI platforms and strategic engineering capabilities that enable secure, agile and scalable adoption of AI. 5Insight 5: Scaling AI with confidence through responsible AI practices Confident AI adoption requires trustworthy systems, prompting organizations to embed technical controls and right-size human oversight for automated decision-making. These insights are not standalone; their interplay amplifies impact. Organizations that address multiple dimensions – strategy, workforce, data, technology and governance – achieve measurable and scalable results. Conversely, those focusing narrowly on technology or short-term return on investment (ROI) consistently struggle to scale AI. By learning from the experiences of MINDS cohort members, organizations can accelerate their journey to impactful AI adoption, avoid common pitfalls and build resilient strategies for the future.Artificial intelligence is delivering real-world results, with impact, scale and trust now driving value. Proof over Promise: Insights on Real-World AI Adoption from 2025 MINDS Organizations 4

Proof over Promise Insights on Real World AI Adoption from 2025 MINDS Organizations 2026