Staff Writer
KPMG says organisations worldwide are moving past pilot projects and are now integrating artificial intelligence into core operations, according to its Global Tech Report 2026.
The report, titled Leading in the Intelligence Age: Excelling Today, Shaping Tomorrow, shows that while the use of AI and other advanced technologies is rising fast, scaling them brings new challenges and uneven returns on investment.
The survey covered 2,500 executives from 27 countries across sectors including automotive, retail, energy, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology.
It found that 68% of organisations aim to reach the highest level of AI maturity by the end of 2026, but only 24% have done so to date.
At the same time, 88% of organisations are investing in agentic AI, which refers to autonomous digital agents that can change how operations and decisions are handled.
Despite strong adoption, only 24% of organisations report seeing returns across multiple AI use cases. The report says this gap shows the difficulty of embedding AI into products, services, and wider business value.
Many organisations now recognise that success depends not only on technology but also on workforce readiness, leadership alignment, and execution.
“Organisations are pushing past the early phase of ‘AI roulette’ and are increasingly focused on delivering tangible value,” said Guy Holland, Global Leader of the CIO Center of Excellence at KPMG International.
The report also highlights the continued role of human expertise. Even with growing AI use, organisations expect 42% of their technology workforce to remain permanent human staff by 2027, a small drop from 2025 levels.
High-performing organisations plan to retain up to 50% of permanent staff, showing that AI is being used to support, not replace, people.
At the same time, 53% of organisations say they lack the skills needed to fully deliver digital transformation.
The report points to the need for training, flexible teams, and workplace cultures that can adapt to change. It also notes that 92% of respondents expect managing AI agents to become a key skill within the next five years.
Marshal Luusa, partner and technology and innovation lead at KPMG One Africa, said, “As Africa enters the Intelligence Age, the differentiator is no longer access to technology but the ability to build skills, governance, and operating models to scale it responsibly. Organisations that invest early in digital skills, human-AI collaboration, and adaptive leadership will be best positioned to translate innovation into sustainable commercial and economic impact.”
The report says organisations that lead in technology maturity, process efficiency and value creation are already seeing stronger results.
These organisations report an average return of 4.5 times on their investments, more than double the industry average of 2.0.
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Marshal Luusa
