A new global report from KPMG reveals that while organizations around the world race to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their core operations, a significant gap remains between ambitious investments and realized value.
The findings highlight a pivotal moment for African business, where skills, governance and the ability to build adaptive operating models will determine who succeeds in the emerging ‘intelligence age’.
The KPMG Global Tech Report 2026, entitled ‘Leaders in the Age of Intelligence’, surveyed 2,500 executives from 27 countries. They found that 68% of organizations aim to achieve the highest level of AI maturity by the end of the year, but only 24% are currently at that level.
Additionally, 74% report that their AI use cases are delivering business value, but only 24% successfully scale AI to achieve return on investment (ROI) across multiple applications.
“The future belongs to leaders who turn intelligence into advantage,” said Guy Holland, global leader of KPMG International’s CIO Center of Excellence. “Organizations have moved past the early stages of ‘AI roulette’ and are now focused on disciplined execution. When ambition meets execution, value increases.”
Full report here:
Regarding Africa, the report emphasizes that it is in an important period of transition. “The differentiator is no longer access to technology, but the ability to build the skills, governance and operating models needed to scale responsibly,” commented Marshall Luusa, partner and technology and innovation leader at KPMG One Africa. “Companies that invest early in digital skills, human-AI collaboration, and adaptive leadership will be best placed to translate innovation into sustainable commercial and economic impact.”
Key global and regional insights from the report highlight the benefits of high performers. Leading organizations report an average ROI of 4.5x from technology investments. This is more than twice the industry average. These companies are working to effectively scale innovation beyond pilot efforts. The report also notes the rise of agent AI, with 88% of companies investing in autonomous digital agents. However, managing these agents is set to become a critical skill, with 92% of organizations recognizing its importance within five years.
Human expertise remains central. Despite the rise of AI, companies expect 42% of their technology workforce to remain full-time human staff by 2027. High-performing companies plan for even higher retention rates of 50%, highlighting the need for human-AI collaboration.
But significant barriers remain, with 53% of organizations worldwide saying they lack the talent needed to execute their digital transformation strategies.
To close capability gaps, 90% of organizations plan to expand their partnerships and technology ecosystem over the next year, seeking expertise and shared innovation.
Looking to the future, 78% of technology executives agree they need to take more risks on emerging technologies like quantum computing to remain relevant, highlighting the need for continued strategic foresight.
The report concludes that success in the intelligence era requires a balanced focus. That means pursuing proactive technology adoption while making strategic investments in people, partnerships, and ethical governance alike.
For African businesses, this is both a challenge and an opportunity to close the execution gap and build inclusive and sustainable growth.
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