Kyndryl Report: AI returns rise as enterprise readiness falls
Key Highlights
- ➤64% of leaders report positive AI returns, up 10 points from 2025
- ➤Average external-risk readiness fell seven points to 24%
- ➤21% canceled a major AI initiative, while 24% saw an investment fail
- ➤66% of CIOs say infrastructure needs significant re-architecture for AI at scale
- ➤Only 26% of firms feel completely ready for cyberattacks, down 11 points
Expert Statements
Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO, Kyndryl
“As AI creates significant opportunity, organizations are now focusing on how to make early returns sustainable.”
Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO, Kyndryl
“This years Readiness Report shows a new kind of readiness gap: AI ambitions are moving faster than the systems needed to support them, and the bar for readiness keeps moving as AI becomes more integrated in enterprises.”
Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO, Kyndryl
“Our data shows that focusing on people, technology and governance can help organizations win with AI and keep the ability to adapt as opportunities evolve.”
Kyndryl Report: AI returns rise as enterprise readiness falls PR Newswire
* Data shows organizations are deploying AI in workflows beyond pilots, with 64% seeing returns on AI investments, up 10 points from 2025 * As AI moves deeper into the business, leaders also report their average readiness for external risks fell to 24% — down 7 points from 2025 — a decline evident across industries and countries * 71% of leaders say their IT estate is mostly or fully modernized, yet 66% of CIOs believe their infrastructure requires significant re-architecture before it can support AI at scale NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD), a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services, today released the findings from its third annual Readiness Report, revealing a widening divide between the returns organizations are seeing from AI and their readiness to manage the risks and demands that come with it.
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