A new World Economic Forum report, in collaboration with Accenture, highlights a growing divide in AI adoption. It details successful real-world cases, offering lessons on scaling AI from experimentation to impactful, large-scale deployment.
The World Economic Forum has released a report, revealing successful AI stories that already delivered measurable performance gains and detailing how pioneering organisations moved beyond experimentation to achieve impact at scale. As investment accelerated and expectations rose, the findings highlighted a growing divide between companies that built the capabilities to scale AI and those still struggling to deploy it effectively. A WEF release indicated that this gap was bridged through lessons drawn from real-world use cases.
Report Highlights Real-World AI Adoption
The report, titled “Proof over Promise: Insights on Real-World AI Adoption from 2025 MINDS Organizations,” was produced in collaboration with Accenture. It drew on insights from two cohorts of the global MINDS programme, which showcased high-impact, real-world AI applications. Analysts examined hundreds of cases across more than 30 countries and over 20 industries, including healthcare, energy, and infrastructure.
Key Patterns for Successful AI Integration
The release noted that an independent Impact Council of leading executives and experts identified clear common patterns among the most promising cases. These included embedding AI into strategic decision-making, redesigning work to strengthen human-AI collaboration, and strengthening data foundations. Successful organisations also focused on modernising technology platforms and supporting these efforts with responsible governance.
Expert Commentary on AI Transformation
“AI offers extraordinary potential, yet many organizations remain unsure about how to realize it,” said Stephan Mergenthaler, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, World Economic Forum. “The selected use cases show what is possible when ambition is translated into operational transformation and our new report provides a practical guide to help others follow the path these leaders have set.”
“Trusted, advanced AI can transform businesses, but it requires organizing data and processes to achieve the best of technology and – this is key – it also requires human ingenuity to maximize returns on AI investments,” said Manish Sharma, Chief Strategy and Services Officer at Accenture. “We encourage organizations to have a clear game plan, and focus on responsible innovation, as they seek to implement and scale AI.”
WEF Announces Second Cohort of AI Pioneers
The Forum also announced the second cohort of 20 pioneers driving high-impact AI solutions. The information technology sector includes Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), EXL Services (USA), and KPMG & SAP (Netherlands, Germany). Energy management: Horizon Power & TerraQuanta (China), Schneider Electric (France), Siemens (Switzerland), National Institute of Clean and Low-Carbon Energy (China), China Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute, Huaneng Jilin Power Generation Co., Ltd. New Energy Branch, and China Huaneng Group Co., Ltd. Jiangsu Branch (China), State Grid Corporation of China (China). Battery Manufacturing: CATL & AIMS (Hangzhou Augmented Intelligence Manufacturing Solution) (China), CATL (China),Tsinghua University and Electroder (China). Global Health & Healthcare includes Ant Group (China), Landing Med (China), Social Medical Corporation Genshukai & Fujitsu (Japan), Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia & AmplifAI (Saudi Arabia), Sanofi & OAO (France). Robotics: Hyundai & DEEPX (Republic of Korea). Financial Services: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). Retail, Consumer Goods & Lifestyle: PepsiCo (USA), Wumart & Dmall (China). Chemical & Scientific Discovery: Deep Principle (China), Phagos (France), UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases & SandboxAQ (USA). Engineering, Construction & Infrastructure: Hitachi Rail (Japan), Fujitsu (Japan), Lenovo (China), Cambridge Industries (USA). Advanced Manufacturing: Foxconn & Boston Consulting Group, BCG (Taiwan, China; USA), Siemens & EthonAI (Germany, Switzerland), Black Lake Technologies (China). Social & Public Good: Tech Mahindra (India).
Upcoming WEF Annual Meeting
The World Economic Forum (WEF) will convene its 56th Annual Meeting in Davos from January 19 to January 23, 2026, bringing together nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries at a moment of heightened geopolitical tension, economic uncertainty and rapid technological transformation.
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