NTT DATA’s 2026 Global AI Report Highlights How Leaders Turn Pilots into Profits

Mumbai: NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and IT services, has released its 2026 Global AI Report: A Playbook for AI Leaders, revealing how top-performing companies are translating AI vision into measurable business value.

The benchmark study, based on a survey of 2,567 senior executives across 35 countries and 15 industries, shows that only 15% of organizations qualify as “AI leaders.” These companies, distinguished by clear strategies, mature operating models and focused execution, are 2.5 times more likely to achieve revenue growth above 10% and over three times more likely to post profit margins of 15% or higher compared to peers.

“AI accountability now belongs in the boardroom and demands an enterprise-wide agenda,” said Yutaka Sasaki, President and CEO, NTT DATA Group. “Our research shows that a small group of AI leaders are already using AI to differentiate, grow and reinvent how humans and machines create value together.”

Strategy: AI as a Growth Engine

The report finds that AI leaders treat the technology as central to growth, rewiring their strategies to deliver outsized returns. Key practices include:

• Strategic alignment and speed – tightly linking AI with business priorities to accelerate impact.
• Focused end-to-end approach – redesigning workflows in high-value domains for maximum economic gain.
• Flywheel effect – reinvesting early successes to fuel sustained growth.
• Core reinvention – embedding AI into core applications rather than limiting it to surface-level add-ons.

Execution: Building Resilient Foundations

AI leaders also stand out in execution, differentiating through strong infrastructure, empowered talent, and disciplined governance. Their hallmarks include:

• Secure at scale – investing in scalable, sovereign AI infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks.
• Expert-first AI – amplifying the impact of skilled employees rather than replacing them.
• Change that sticks – treating adoption as a company-wide transformation program.
• Governed for scale – centralizing oversight and empowering Chief AI Officers (CAIOs).
• Partner-powered growth – leveraging strategic collaborations and outcome-based models to accelerate value.

“Once AI and business strategies are aligned, the most effective move is to pick one or two domains that deliver disproportionate value and redesign them end-to-end with AI,” said Abhijit Dubey, CEO and CAIO, NTT DATA, Inc. “Supporting this approach with strong governance, modern infrastructure and trusted partners is how today’s AI leaders are pulling ahead of the market.”

The report underscores that while most organizations are still experimenting with pilots, a small group of leaders are already converting AI into sustained profitability, setting the benchmark for the next wave of enterprise transformation.