TLDR: A new Capgemini Research Institute report reveals a fivefold increase in generative AI adoption, with 30% of organizations scaling Gen AI by 2025. While benefits are rising, the rapid integration of AI as a ‘teammate’ brings significant challenges in cost, governance, trust, and workforce adaptation, necessitating strategic restructuring and ethical oversight.
Capgemini’s latest research, ‘Harnessing the value of AI: Unlocking scalable advantage,’ highlights a dramatic surge in generative AI (Gen AI) adoption across global organizations. The report, the third edition in Capgemini Research Institute’s annual series on AI technologies, indicates that Gen AI adoption has escalated from a mere 6% in 2023 to a substantial 30% in 2025, marking a fivefold increase within two years. A vast majority, 93% of organizations, are now actively exploring, piloting, or partially/fully enabling Gen AI capabilities.
The study, based on a global survey of 1,100 leaders from organizations with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion across 15 countries, underscores the transformative benefits in innovation and productivity that companies are realizing.
Beyond Gen AI, the report also notes the significant rise of AI agents, with 14% of organizations already implementing them at partial or full scale, and another 23% running pilots. This signifies a profound shift in how AI is perceived and utilized within the enterprise. Nearly six in ten firms anticipate AI to function as an active team member or even a supervisor for other AI systems within the next 12 months, a notable increase from 44% currently.
Despite this accelerated adoption, the report identifies critical challenges that organizations must address. Cost concerns persist, and a significant gap exists in organizational readiness for dynamic human-AI collaboration. Two-thirds of enterprises acknowledge the necessity of restructuring their teams to enhance this collaboration, expecting their organizational structures to evolve.
Trust and governance are also lagging, with 71% of organizations expressing an inability to fully trust autonomous AI agents for enterprise use. The environmental impact of AI is also under increasing scrutiny.
Franck Greverie, Chief Technology & Portfolio Officer and Head of Global Business Lines at Capgemini, commented on the findings: “Enterprise adoption of AI is scaling faster than almost any technology we’ve seen before, with companies experimenting with AI across all functions. But rapid adoption doesn’t necessarily translate into large scale deployment with tangible ROI.” He emphasized the need for trusted, secure data foundations and balanced human-AI operating models.
To effectively deliver business value and scale AI responsibly, ethically, and effectively, the report recommends several strategies: architecting for scalability by redesigning processes for AI integration and embracing ‘platformization’ for enterprise-wide deployment; reinforcing trust through governance by defining clear scopes for AI execution, establishing cross-functional governance with ethical oversight, and strengthening data management and traceability.
Also Read:
- The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents: Transforming Workflows and Enterprise Operations
- Global Ethical and Responsible AI Market Experiences Explosive Growth, Driven by Tech Giants
Leading sectors in Gen AI adoption include telecom, consumer products, and aerospace and defense. Core business functions such as customer operations, marketing, risk management, and IT remain the primary areas of implementation. Organizations are backing their AI ambitions with significant capital, with nearly nine in ten firms increasing Gen AI spending in the past year, dedicating an average of 12% of their IT budgets to the technology.
