AI adoption surges, but only 15% of organisations can prove financial impact

New research from Cynozure reveals gaps in data and AI ownership, measurement and accountability as leaders head into 2026

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cynozure, a leading data and AI consultancy, today announced the launch of The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact – Cynozure’s 2026 State of the Industry Report.

Based on insights from 60 senior data and AI leaders across sectors including retail, financial services, consumer goods, technology and non-profit, the report explores how organisations are broadening their focus from building data and AI capability to delivering measurable business outcomes.

Key findings include:

• Data culture and literacy is the number-one priority for 2026, cited by 43% of leaders, reflecting growing recognition that without a workforce that understands and trusts data, investment in analytics and AI will not deliver impact
• AI strategy ownership remains fragmented, with 80% of organisations assigning data strategy to the CDO or Head of Data, but only 28% doing the same for AI; despite widespread AI adoption, 40% still split ownership across multiple executives and 17% report no clear AI owner at all, limiting pace, alignment and impact
• Budget and resource constraints remain the biggest blocker overall at 25%, especially for smaller organisations, while larger organisations are more likely to be held back by legacy technology (20%) and lack of executive or organisational buy-in (17%)
• Traditional and generative AI are now mainstream across this community, and more than half of leaders (52%) are using or planning agentic AI, yet most impact is still focused on automating routine tasks and boosting productivity rather than driving growth
• Measurement is a major gap: 30% do not measure the value of data & AI consistently, and only 15% quantify financial impact from data and AI in pounds or dollars

“AI has propelled data into the boardroom,” said Jason Foster, Founder and CEO at Cynozure. “The challenge now is not whether organisations can use data and AI, but whether it is making a meaningful difference to the P&L. Many teams have invested heavily in platforms, teams and experimentation, but still struggle to evidence impact. The organisations that pull ahead in 2026 will be those that treat data and AI as a portfolio of products, tied to outcomes and measured with strong investment and commercial discipline.”

The report also finds that data products are becoming a key mechanism for turning AI capability into sustained performance. Over 70% of leaders expect data products to drive the most value in operational excellence and autonomy, followed by customer experience and growth, and financial performance.

“Data products, and increasingly decision products, are how leaders are turning strategy into reality,” said Tim Connold, Chief Client Officer at Cynozure. “By framing data and AI as products that support specific decisions, organisations can focus investment on what matters most and track Return on Data Investment (RODI)™ in a way that resonates with boards and investors.”

The 2026 State of Data and AI Leadership survey was in field from 28 October to 21 November 2025. Respondents were 60 senior data professionals, including Chief Data Officers, Chief Data and Analytics Officers, Chief Data and AI Officers, VPs and Directors of Data, Heads of Data and other senior executives, with nearly half of respondents reporting revenue over £1B.

The Next Horizon: Data, AI and Impact – Cynozure’s 2026 State of the Industry Report is available to download now.

Download the full report: https://www.cynozure.com/state-of-the-industry-report-2026/

About Cynozure

Cynozure is a consultancy that helps leaders ensure data and AI investment translates into clear P&L impact. The company works with organisations to shape data and AI strategies tied to business goals, design and deliver data and decision products that drive real outcomes, build architectures and governance that enable fast and safe platforms, improve data culture and literacy, and define and track Return on Data Investment (RODI)™.

Cynozure also runs the CDO Hub, an exclusive members’ community where data leaders collaborate, share, learn and grow, and produces the Hub & Spoken podcast, one of the most listened to podcasts in the industry. The company has been recognised as one of The Sunday Times’ fastest-growing private companies and as DataIQ’s Best Place to Work in Data in both 2023 and 2024. Cynozure is a certified B Corporation.

For more information, visit www.cynozure.com.