According to the Accenture research, companies need to create the intelligent superhighway -- governed data, explicit decision logic and codified workflows, cloud‑native, modular architectures, and a future-ready workforce.

Accenture found that nearly 9 in 10 (86%) organizations plan to increase AI investments in 2026 based on their belief that AI will help increase revenues. That said, only 21% of companies are redesigning end-to-end processes with AI at the core. Accenture research based on more than 6,000 AI engagements identified five ways AI can create business-wide value.

Treat AI as a multi-year enterprise build, not a quarter-to-quarter experiment; this requires long-term planning and doing. This also means sustained investments and the ability to identify and communicate short-term wins. Business leaders must define doable value targets to build organizational momentum. Accenture found that meaningful value from AI investments on the income statement takes 12 months or more.

According to Accenture, 70% of technology budgets still support legacy systems that slow the flow of information. To achieve operational readiness, companies must codify end-to-end processes so AI can operate quickly and at scale. The right form of AI must also be applied to how work is done. Not all work requires AI agents. The best use of AI agents is when the workflow requires reasoning; otherwise, traditional automation can do the job. Accenture noted that many firms over-apply agentic AI and leaders must avoid this trap.