AI is rapidly reshaping the business game, creating a few clear winners — and a stadium full of spectators. According to a new report from Boston Consulting Group, only 5% of companies in its 2025 study of more than 1,250 global firms are seeing real returns on AI. Meanwhile, 60% of companies have seen little to no benefit, reporting only minimal increases in revenue and cost savings despite making substantial investments.BCG said that industries like software, telecommunications, and fintech have the highest levels of “AI maturity,” which the firm defines as “the ability to create value at scale.” Meanwhile, fashion and luxury, chemicals, and real estate and construction are lagging behind. BCG found that sectors incorporating AI into their core business functions — R&D, sales and marketing, as well as manufacturing and IT — saw significant value gains from 2024 to 2025. Amanda Luther, the global leader of AI and digital transformation at BCG, told Business Insider by email that “value” in the firm’s report “refers primarily to measurable financial and operational impact — notably, revenue growth, cost reduction, and cash-flow improvements that translate into shareholder returns.” It also includes “productivity gains, process efficiencies, and innovation outcomes that improve decision-making, speed, and quality of execution across workflows,” she said. BCG describes the companies successfully planning for and adopting AI as “future-built companies,” and says there are five traits that set them apart. Companies succeeding at incorporating AI are equipped with leadership that’s enthusiastic about the technology, and nearly all C-Suite leaders use it on a daily basis. They are more likely to appoint a chief AI officer and a chief data officer to ensure AI is adopted across the company. These companies are also more likely to have a “model of co-ownership” between the business departments and IT, so that each group has autonomy and accountability for its actions. They reshape and reinvent workflows. BCG said that nearly 90% of future-built companies expect that most of the value they see from AI will come