Infor Survey Finds AI Deployment Outpacing Reported Efficiency Gains

Businesses are accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, but reported efficiency gains are not consistently keeping pace, according to the second edition of Infor’s Enterprise AI Adoption Impact Index. The research highlights a growing gap between adopting AI technologies and translating them into measurable business value.

The survey, conducted by YouGov in August 2026, covered 2,111 business decision-makers across seven markets: the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Singapore and Japan. It compared results from April and August in four markets to assess changes in enterprise AI adoption and reported performance.

AI Deployment Outpaces Efficiency Improvements

The findings reveal different adoption patterns across countries. In the United States, AI deployment increased by approximately 13 percentage points, while reported efficiency gains rose by around seven points. France experienced a contrasting trend, with deployment increasing by approximately 12 points while reported efficiency gains declined by around 14 points. The United Kingdom also recorded weaker gains despite a slight increase in deployment, while Germany remained broadly stable.

These findings suggest that expanding AI implementation alone does not guarantee improved operational efficiency or stronger business outcomes.

Generic AI Tools Face Industry-Specific Challenges

One of the survey’s most significant findings is that 68% of respondents believe off-the-shelf AI solutions do not adequately address their industry’s requirements. This concern persists despite many organisations reporting mature data and sufficient internal capabilities.

The results underline the importance of industry-specific AI solutions that understand specialised workflows, operational constraints and business processes. Manufacturing, distribution and retail organisations may require different AI capabilities to support production planning, inventory management, supply chains and customer operations.

AI Investment and Autonomous Agents Gain Momentum

Despite challenges in measuring returns, 59% of business leaders expect their organisations to increase AI investment over the next 12 months. Additionally, 54% of respondents said they were mostly or very comfortable with autonomous AI agents executing critical business processes without requiring human input at every step.

However, governance remains a concern. Only 23% identified the CEO or executive leadership as primarily responsible for AI governance, while 22% named the CIO or CTO. Meanwhile, 15% reported that no single person had clear responsibility.

Although approximately 74% considered their data sufficiently mature and well governed to support reliable AI, security, privacy, data sovereignty and compliance continued to present barriers.

What It Means for Enterprise Technology

For ERP leaders and IT decision-makers, the findings emphasise the need to measure AI success through tangible business outcomes rather than deployment numbers alone. Organisations should track productivity improvements, operating costs, accuracy and return on investment while establishing clear governance responsibilities.

As enterprise AI adoption accelerates, combining industry-specific capabilities, reliable data, measurable performance indicators and accountable human oversight will be essential to converting AI investment into sustainable business value.