---
id: "lib-2026-06-00-global-ai-pulse-q2-2026"
type: "library"
title: "Global AI Pulse Q2 2026"
lang: "EN"
org: "KPMG"
source_type: "Survey"
date: "2026-06-01"
week: "2026-W23"
url: "https://nosov.ai/library/lib-2026-06-00-global-ai-pulse-q2-2026/"
original_url: "https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmgsites/xx/pdf/2026/06/global-ai-pulse-q2.pdf"
tier: "A"
tier_name: "Strong evidence"
tier_reason: "A large, documented quarterly executive survey (2,145 senior leaders, 20 countries) from a Big Four firm, with a stated method and quarter-on-quarter comparison, but self-reported outcomes and a consultancy interest in the governance conclusions."
summary_basis: "full-text"
original_minutes: "35"
tags: ["ai adoption", "roi", "accountability", "ai economics"]
---

# Global AI Pulse Q2 2026

Tier A (Strong evidence): A large, documented quarterly executive survey (2,145 senior leaders, 20 countries) from a Big Four firm, with a stated method and quarter-on-quarter comparison, but self-reported outcomes and a consultancy interest in the governance conclusions.

Summary based on the full text.

## In short

The second quarterly Global AI Pulse from KPMG International (June 2026), based on 2,145 senior leaders in 20 countries. Confidence rose on every measure tracked, and the share of organisations "driving adoption" jumped from 13% to 22%. Few report established ROI. The report links ROI to two things: clear executive accountability for AI outcomes, and visibility of what AI costs to run.

## Key numbers

- 14% vs 4%: established ROI where accountability for AI outcomes is clear vs not
- 15% vs 3%: established ROI with full visibility of AI operating costs vs without
- 49%: organizations that questioned, delayed or scaled back AI agent deployments because costs outweighed value
- US$188M: average planned AI spend over the next 12 months (weighted mean)

## What it reports

- 76% say AI delivers meaningful business value (64% in Q1); 78% think their AI strategy can be future-proofed (70%); 79% would keep AI a top investment priority in a recession (74%).
- Planned AI spend holds at US$188M over 12 months, a weighted average that was effectively unchanged from Q1.
- 75% say the CEO actively owns AI as a priority, and 29% name a specific C-suite executive as accountable. Where accountability is clear, established ROI is reported at 14% vs 4%.
- 35% have full, actively monitored visibility of AI operating costs. Those with full visibility report established ROI at 15% vs 3%.
- Cost controls in place: cost review in AI approvals 54%, cost dashboards 53%, usage or token budgets 40%, architecture or prompt standards 39%.
- 49% have questioned, delayed or scaled back AI agent deployments because expected costs outweighed value.
- "Access to lower-cost, high-fidelity models" was the fastest-rising influence on strategy, from 15% to 22%. Productivity as a top priority fell 7 points.
- Significant employee adoption of agents rose from 25% to 28%. Employee resistance fell to 14% globally but rose in the US from 5% to 20%. 78% expect AI fluency to matter more for roles.

## How they got it

An online survey fielded 28 April to 25 May 2026 among 2,145 senior leaders (C-suite, EVPs, managing directors) with direct knowledge of AI use, at organisations with at least US$50M revenue (US$1B for the US tracking sample). Sectors include technology, financial services, manufacturing, consumer and retail, healthcare, life sciences, energy and real estate. Maturity is self-assessed on a six-stage scale; spend is weighted by organisation size and region.

## Limits

- "Meaningful value" and "established ROI" are self-assessed categories, not financial measures.
- The accountability and cost-visibility gaps are correlations; better-run firms may simply do both.
- The Q1 sample used a US$100M revenue threshold, so the quarter-on-quarter shifts partly compare different populations. KPMG sells the governance and AI economics advisory it recommends.

## Why it matters for companies

Two inexpensive disciplines stand out: name one executive accountable for AI outcomes, and know what each AI system costs to run per unit of work. Half of firms have already pulled back agent rollouts on cost grounds, so usage-based pricing needs budgeting before scale, not after. The rise in US employee resistance is a reminder that adoption figures can reverse when the workforce reads AI as a headcount programme.

Original: https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmgsites/xx/pdf/2026/06/global-ai-pulse-q2.pdf