Author name: Molly Ferncombe

AI is now standard across software teams, but outcomes couldn’t be more uneven. Research highlighted by McKinsey & Co shows a select group achieving 31%–45% gains in software quality. Insights from Tariq Shaukat of Sonar and Michael Truell of Cursor reveal why success comes not from better tools, but from rethinking workflows, roles and how teams work with AI

Recent research from MIT NANDA shows that organisations partnering with external AI specialists achieve twice the deployment success of those building alone. These partnerships deliver faster implementation, lower costs, and clearer returns, especially in back-office functions. For leadership teams under pressure to move quickly and responsibly, buying smart is proving more effective than building from scratch

Artificial intelligence is starting to move from promise to performance. Insights from PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey, based on perspectives from thousands of chief executives worldwide, show that organisations deploying AI strategically are seeing meaningful commercial results. As leading companies demonstrate, the difference lies not in access to technology, but in how deliberately AI is embedded across the business to drive growth, efficiency and long-term advantage

QuantumBlack’s latest analysis shows AI agents now complete complex tasks twice as fast as a year ago, signalling a major shift in enterprise performance. HSBC, Unilever and Rolls-Royce are among the organisations already experimenting with agentic systems to accelerate compliance, innovation and engineering insight, evidence that corporate AI adoption is moving rapidly from theory to practice

Whilst 95% of AI pilots crash and burn, delivering no economic value, a select few organisations are achieving extraordinary breakthroughs—slashing operational times from hours to minutes and unlocking entirely new revenue streams. The difference isn’t technological prowess or timing; it’s the courage to abandon incremental thinking and completely reinvent core business processes. As ServiceNow’s Matt Higham warns, companies clinging to cautious experimentation whilst competitors embrace radical transformation may find themselves in an impossible position: not just behind the curve, but permanently left behind