PwC's 2026 AI Performance Study, published April 13, surveyed 1,217 senior executives across 25 sectors and found that three-quarters of AI's financial returns accrue to just one-fifth of organizations. The distinguishing factor is not how much companies spend on AI but how they apply it: top performers use AI to drive new revenue and reshape business models rather than focusing narrowly on cost reduction, and make autonomous AI-driven decisions at nearly three times the rate of peers. Companies in the leading tier were also nearly twice as likely to report deploying AI in advanced, transformative ways.