Dun & Bradstreet Survey of 10,000 Businesses Finds AI Returns Stable for Most, but Data-Ready Companies Pull Ahead on ROI

Businesses With Fully AI-Ready Data Report Broad or Strong AI ROI at More Than Six Times (6.5x) the Rate of Businesses Whose Data is Partially Ready

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty-five percent of businesses plan to increase spending on AI over the next twelve months, yet only 28% report broad or strong returns from AI efforts, unchanged from last quarter, according to Dun & Bradstreet's latest AI Momentum survey of 10,000 businesses across 32 countries. Only 8% of businesses report that their enterprise data is fully ready to support AI at scale, while 33% describe it as mostly ready and 44% as partially ready. Companies are investing in AI faster than they are readying their data foundation to support it.

The survey finds 81% of businesses with enterprise data that is fully ready for AI are obtaining broad or strong ROI, compared with 12% of those whose data is only partially ready. The pattern is also apparent at the regional level. Eastern Europe (31%), Asia Pacific (30%) and Western Europe (30%) report the highest rates of broad or strong ROI, as well as the highest shares of mostly or fully AI-ready data (41-43%). The Americas and Africa trail on both measures.

The Americas show the starkest mismatch between AI investment and data readiness, and businesses there have the most to gain by getting their data ready. Businesses in the Americas are among the most likely to increase AI spending (approximately 68%), yet the region reports the second-lowest rates of broad or strong ROI (23%) and mostly or fully AI-ready data (37%).

"What stands out this quarter is how much data readiness matters. The organizations whose data is ready for AI are seeing broad returns at a much higher rate than everyone else, even as returns overall have leveled off," said Gary Kotovets, Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Dun & Bradstreet. "The models themselves are very capable. What makes the difference between a pilot and real P&L impact is whether the AI is working from verified business context. That's what we do at Dun & Bradstreet. The D&B Commercial Graph™ has already worked out who a business is and how it's connected, so the AI can start from verified information instead of burning tokens trying to figure that out on its own."

Data readiness has not kept pace with AI investment this year, creating a persistent barrier to scaling returns. From Q3 to Q4, the share of businesses reporting fully AI-ready data rose from 6% to 8%, while the share reporting broad or strong ROI held steady at 28%. However, that gain is concentrated at the top, as the share of organizations describing their data as "mostly ready" fell from 36% to 33%. Partial readiness is where most businesses get stuck, with 57% of those with partially ready data reporting only pockets of ROI, compared with 16% of those fully ready. Organizations with higher data readiness are more likely to report broad, repeatable returns, while those with less-ready data lag behind.

Key Q4 survey findings include:

AI continues to move into production

• Nearly all businesses (98%) report active AI initiatives.
• Spending intent is broad-based: 60–68% of businesses in every region expect to increase AI spending, led by the Americas and Western Europe, both at approximately 68%.
• 37% are scaling AI pilots into production, up from 34% in Q3.

Data readiness is strongly associated with AI ROI

• Businesses with fully AI-ready data report broad or strong AI ROI at more than six times (6.5x) the rate of businesses whose data is partially ready.
• 81% of businesses with enterprise data that is fully ready for AI are obtaining broad or strong ROI, compared with 12% of businesses whose data is only partially ready.
• On strong ROI alone, the gap is wider still: 55% of businesses with fully ready data report strong ROI, compared with 2% of those with low or no data readiness.
• Regionally, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and Western Europe lead on both broad or strong ROI (30–31%) and mostly or fully AI-ready data (41–43%), while the Americas (23% and 37%) and Africa (21% and 33%) trail.

AI returns remain stable

• 28% report broad or strong AI ROI, unchanged from Q3.
• 44% report "pockets of ROI" on some AI pilots, while just 9% say most pilots have scaled with clear gains.

Enterprise data is not yet fully ready for AI at scale

• 8% of businesses report their enterprise data is "fully ready" to support AI at scale.
• 44% describe their data as "partially ready" and 33% as "mostly ready."

"The next phase of AI adoption will be defined less by access to models and more by the quality of the information those models can use," said Kotovets. "Enterprises that invest in verified identity, connected data and decision-ready context will be better positioned to scale AI with greater speed, confidence and control."

The Dun & Bradstreet AI Momentum Survey is a quarterly global survey of 10,000 businesses across 32 countries that tracks enterprise AI adoption, investment, deployment and business outcomes over time.

About Dun & Bradstreet

Dun & Bradstreet provides the verified commercial identity foundation for enterprises to deploy AI at scale. The company originated the D‑U‑N‑S® Number in 1963, now the global standard for identifying commercial entities. Anchored by this identifier, the D&B Commercial Graph™ structures and connects business identity consistently across systems, enabling AI to operate on accurate, validated data. Since 1841, businesses of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to navigate change and accelerate growth. For more information, visit www.dnb.com.

SOURCE Dun & Bradstreet, Inc.