BCG: banks lead AI spending, telcos struggle to show returns

BCG's Applied AI Index 2026 shows telecoms have the clearest AI strategy (53/100) but report just 0.6% revenue uplift. Banks spend 5.7% of revenue on AI versus 3.7% for telcos, gaining 1.2% revenue uplift and 1.6% cost reduction. The share of 'future-built' companies rose from 5% to 7.5%.

• Telcos: 53/100 for strategy clarity but only 0.6% revenue uplift and 1.1% cost savings
• Banks spend 5.7% of revenue on AI, tech companies 4.1%
• Future-built companies grew to 7.5% from 5% a year earlier
• Only 5% of companies have all six agent controls in place