NEW YORK and NOIDA, India, July 21, 2026—HCLTech, a leading global technology company, today released its global research report, The Blueprint for AI Leadership, revealing a widening gap between organizations adopting AI and those realizing meaningful business value.
The study, conducted with Raconteur among 500 enterprise decision-makers, shows that AI adoption is no longer the constraint. 90% of organizations report that GenAI and Agentic AI are transforming workflows, with 91% citing improved data access and 90% reporting productivity gains.
However, alarmingly, only 18% say AI is delivering significant revenue impact, exposing a critical gap between operational progress and business outcomes. These enterprises have emerged as AI Leaders by not just adopting AI, but by systematically converting it into growth, innovation and customer experience advantage. These enterprises are four times more likely to scale agentic and autonomous AI, with superior execution in defining measurable use cases (73% vs. 22%) and securing senior leadership sponsorship (63% vs. 36%).
The lagging enterprises that act as AI Followers remain trapped in incremental gains, evaluating AI through efficiency and cost lenses alone, limiting their ability to compete on differentiated outcomes or scale impact enterprise wide.
The divergence is sharpest in foundations. AI Leaders have integrated AI into business strategy, built data readiness and are far ahead in workforce transformation, with 93% having structured upskilling programs, compared to just 20% of AI Followers.
Critically, Leaders are embedding AI into core workflows and decision-making, enabling scaling, adaptability and continuous improvement, capabilities AI Followers are yet to institutionalize. This shift from deploying tools to orchestrating enterprise-wide transformation is the defining advantage in AI maturity.
“AI has entered a decisive phase, and success will come down to how well organizations bring people, data and technology together,” said Pawan Vadapalli, Corporate Vice President and Global Head, Digital Business Services at HCLTech. “The organizations pulling ahead are not just running more pilots; they are rethinking how the business works, embedding AI into everyday decisions and workflows. It is this coordinated shift across leadership, culture and foundations that turns AI from a tool into real, long-term advantage.”
To access the full report, please visit: The Blueprint for AI Leadership: AI ROI Report | HCLTech
About HCLTech
HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 223,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology & Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending June 2026 totaled $14.8 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.
For further details, please contact:
HCLTech
Meredith Bucaro, Americas - meredith-bucaro@hcltech.com
Elka Ghudial, Europe - elka.ghudial@hcltech.com
James Galvin, APAC - james.galvin@hcltech.com
Nitin Shukla, India Middle East & Africa - nitin-shukla@hcltech.com