Deloitte Private Survey: Private Companies Shift Digital and AI Investment from Exploration to Implementation

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of private companies surveyed with $500 million or more in annual revenue have experienced moderate to significant ROI from AI investments

NEW YORK, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Deloitte Private survey found that revenue growth (71%) and productivity (62%) are the top business priorities for the next 12 months among private company leaders surveyed. More than half (52%) cited increasing AI use across the organization as a top-three priority -- up from 22% a year earlier.

In the study, "Private Company Outlook: Digital Investment," nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) said their organizations are actively investing in digital transformation initiatives, including AI, compared with a third (33%) investing in limited or pilot form.

Key findings from the survey:

• Larger private companies lead the way. While most respondents reported ROI from AI investments, companies with annual revenue of $500 million or more were significantly more likely to report moderate or significant ROI (64%) than companies with less than $500 million in annual revenue (11%). Nearly three-quarters (74%) of higher-revenue companies said they are scaling AI across select functions, compared with 38% of their lower-revenue counterparts.
• Budget reprioritization is funding investments. Among private company leaders surveyed, 50% say that internal budget reprioritization will be the primary source of funding for digital and AI investment over the next 12 months, followed by existing operating capital (43%), rather than external sources such as lending. Private company leaders surveyed expect the highest impact from these investments on workforce productivity and operational efficiency (93%).
• Barriers are operational, not just technical. The biggest obstacles to realizing the full value of digital investments and AI appear to be data quality or availability challenges (72%), gaps in AI fluency or technology talent/leadership (53%), integration with legacy systems or technical debt (48%), and difficulty scaling beyond the pilot stage (48%).
• Boards are engaged, but oversight gaps remain. Boards are viewed as most proactive in technology investment oversight (70%), cybersecurity (67%), and data governance, privacy, and regulatory compliance (64%). Far fewer respondents said boards are proactive in overseeing the ethical use of technology (25%) or leadership capability to execute AI and digital transformation (22%).

"Private companies are moving beyond AI experimentation and investing in it to drive growth, improve productivity, and make faster decisions," said Wolfe Tone, vice chair and US Deloitte Private leader. "Many are starting to see returns, and continuing the momentum will depend on how they integrate AI across leadership, governance, and the workforce. Private companies have an advantage because they can often move with greater agility and align decisions more quickly, but realizing the full value of AI will depend on how effectively they translate that agility into disciplined execution at scale."

About the survey
Deloitte Private's pulse survey, "Private Company Outlook," gauges private company leaders' perspectives on opportunities and risks to business now and in the future. The survey of 100 private company leaders was conducted online by an independent research company between March 18 and 24, 2026. Respondents included CEOs, CFOs, presidents, board members, and partners/owners of private companies in the U.S. with annual revenues of US$100 million to US$1 billion+.

Deloitte Private serves the unique needs of private companies and their stakeholders by leveraging the full depth of Deloitte's technical experience and industry capabilities to serve private enterprises, family-owned businesses, private equity portfolio companies and emerging growth companies. Visit us at https://www2.deloitte.com/us/private or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 9,000 U.S.-based private companies. At Deloitte, we strive to live our purpose of making an impact that matters for our people, clients, and communities. We bring together distinct talents, technologies, disciplines, and an ecosystem of alliances to help tackle today's most complex business challenges and drive long-term progress. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Bringing more than 180 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's approximately 470,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

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SOURCE Deloitte