AI Action Steps for 2026: WSI’s Roadmap for Smarter Adoption & ROI

According to WSI’s 2025 AI Business Insights Report, AI awareness is surging—but strategic adoption still lags behind.

More teams beyond leadership and marketing are beginning to explore AI’s potential, which marks real progress. But across most businesses, formal training is rare, cross-departmental adoption is uneven, and budget commitments haven’t kept pace with the pace of innovation.

At WSI, we believe insights are only valuable if they lead to action. That’s why we’re translating this year’s data into four explicit AI action steps for 2026—practical moves any organization can make to turn interest into measurable impact.

We’ll start with a quick recap of the report’s key takeaways, then walk through the specific actions you can take to shift from exploration to execution. With this roadmap, your business can be part of the AI transformation wave—not left watching it pass by.

RECAP: The Key Takeaways and Insights from WSI’s 2025 AI Business Insights Report

WSI’s 2025 report offers a snapshot of global AI adoption—and a reality check on what’s still missing. Here are the three most important takeaways:

1. AI Confidence is Growing—But Strategy and Budgets Lag

AI talk is up—but concrete planning still trails behind. In 2025, 27% of businesses regularly discussed AI, up from 20% in 2024. While this is a step forward, 35% still say they don’t have time to evaluate AI’s benefits properly, and many remain hesitant to budget for it.

⚠️ Why it matters:
Interest without action stalls innovation. Teams ready to adopt get stuck waiting for buy-in, funding, or clarity—slowing momentum company-wide.

Familiarity with AI is Spreading—But Formal Training Still Isn't

AI familiarity jumped from 38% to 59% year over year. But more than half of those “familiar” users have never received structured AI training. Most rely on self-learning, leaving significant skill gaps.

Encouragingly, 48% plan to invest in training—though 36% remain undecided.

⚠️ Why it matters:
You can’t scale AI impact without fluency. Without formal education, teams will plateau at experimentation, unable to unlock fundamental transformation.

3. AI is Expanding Beyond Leadership—But Silos Are Slowing Progress

In 2024, we found that AI was mostly limited to business leaders and marketing professionals. This is no longer the case.

While adoption by sales, IT, and operations teams is climbing, it remains minimal in HR, Finance, and Customer Service. Leadership enthusiasm is strong, but cross-departmental rollout is uneven.

⚠️ Why it matters:
When AI lives only in pockets, efficiency gains hit bottlenecks. Company-wide progress depends on spreading adoption across the entire org chart.

Breakthrough Insights on AI’s Strategic Impact

Beyond the high-level takeaways, WSI’s 2025 report surfaced deeper trends shaping how—and where—AI can deliver real business value in 2026.

More Businesses Are Planning for AI: But Strategy is Still Catching Up

In 2024, our survey revealed that 55% of businesses had either not discussed AI formally or had only held informal conversations about it. The 2025 data show encouraging progress: that number has dropped to 37%, indicating that more organizations are beginning to incorporate AI into structured planning conversations.

But here’s the catch: Just 27% of organizations discuss AI regularly, and budget improvements remain incremental.

⚠️ Why it matters:
Talking isn’t doing. Unless AI is incorporated into roadmaps, resource plans, and performance goals, most companies will remain stuck in pilot mode.

Leaders are Excited About AI: But Middle Managers Are Driving Adoption

Executives are bullish on AI—83% of founders and business owners say they believe in its potential. Yet 24% aren’t using it daily, and only 40% have received formal training.

Meanwhile, managers and frontline employees are picking up the slack: over 75% report using AI tools, and more than half have completed training.

⚠️ Why it matters:
AI momentum is building from the middle—but top-down engagement is essential to scale adoption, align strategy, and unlock enterprise-wide ROI.

We need to close this gap. Leaders don’t need to become AI specialists—but they do need to champion use cases, model commitment, and guide organizational priorities. Leaders who engage directly with AI through tools, training, or strategic use cases are better positioned to drive company-wide adoption, secure internal alignment, and turn AI from a theoretical advantage into a competitive one.

AI Adoption Varies Widely by Industry: Some Are Racing Ahead, Others Are Stuck

Microbusinesses and tech-forward industries like Telecom (95%), Education (89%), and Construction (86%) lead the AI curve. Others—like Non-Profits (55%) and Hospitality (69%)—remain more cautious.

High performers don’t just use AI—they integrate it into operations. The biggest differentiator? Not budget. Mindset.

⚠️ Why it matters:
Treating AI as a core capability—not a one-off project—is what separates early adopters from industry leaders.

What separates these “AI Leaders” isn’t just budget—it’s mindset. The most advanced firms are integrating AI into their core business operations, not just piloting isolated tools. They treat AI as a lever for efficiency, personalization, and growth, not a tech experiment waiting for bandwidth.

WSI’s 4 Action Steps for 2026

Based on the latest data, WSI recommends four practical, high-impact steps to help businesses turn AI from concept into capability—and close the gap between curiosity and transformation.

1. Make AI a Core Business Conversation—Not a Side Experiment

In 2025, only 27% of businesses say AI is a regular part of strategic planning. Many still treat it as an isolated project instead of a driver of business performance. While this is a common starting point, this is far from where it needs to be.

⭐ What to do:
Bring AI into your planning cycles, assign clear ownership (AI champion or internal lead), and align use cases with measurable outcomes—like faster response times, lower costs, or better customer experience.

WSI Consultants help businesses connect AI initiatives to KPIs, offering frameworks to move from dabbling to doing.  By bringing deep industry insight and proven frameworks, they help clients define practical use cases, evaluate tools, and connect AI initiatives directly to performance outcomes—such as improving customer satisfaction, reducing lead response times, or lowering campaign costs. 

As Johnson & Johnson discovered, just 10–15% of use cases drive 80% of value. The company shifted from scattered pilots to focused, high-impact projects tied directly to business outcomes. Focus matters.

2. Build Targeted AI Fluency That Meets People Where They Are

AI familiarity is up—but structured training is still rare. Over 50% of “familiar” professionals haven’t had formal education. The #1 barrier? Time.

⭐ What to do:
Replace one-size-fits-all training with role-specific learning. Focused, function-based workshops (e.g., for sales, ops, or leadership) drive faster adoption and more relevant skill-building.

WSI’s AI Adoption Roadmap helps organizations identify their highest-impact opportunities, then tailor training around real workflows—not abstract theory.

One global telecom firm saved hours of wasted training by benchmarking data readiness first—ensuring learning aligned with where AI could actually make an impact.

3. Expand Adoption Across All Departments, Not Just the Usual Champions

In 2025, AI adoption grew in Sales, IT, and Ops—but still lags in HR, Finance, and Customer Service. This uneven rollout creates organizational bottlenecks.

⭐What to do:
Start with low-risk, high-reward use cases in underutilized departments. Pilot AI-assisted onboarding in HR or simple automations in Finance to build trust and momentum. They also serve as proof points that AI can be safe, relevant, and ROI-positive, even in departments that may be more cautious or compliance-bound.

WSI helps clients uncover these overlooked entry points and demonstrate quick wins—turning skeptics into champions.

From Walmart’s $75M in logistics savings to JPMorgan’s reclaimed staff hours via AI document review, the lesson is clear: AI isn’t just for tech teams—it’s a company-wide lever.

4. Stop Viewing AI as an Extra Task: Start Treating It as a Business Lever

The most significant barrier to AI adoption in 2025 isn’t cost or complexity—it’s time. Many teams see AI as “one more thing” instead of a way to optimize what’s already on their plate.

⭐ What to do:
Reframe AI as a performance multiplier, not an add-on. Tie every AI initiative to a specific business outcome—faster lead responses, lower churn, higher productivity—and use those wins to justify further investment.

WSI works with clients to align tools with KPIs and prove value quickly. Microsoft saved over $500M in one year by applying AI across its call centers—not by adding effort, but by redirecting it.

Discover Where AI Can Drive Impact in Your Business

Whether you're AI-curious or ready to scale, 2026 is the year to act with intent—not just interest.

WSI’s expert-backed approach helps you:

• Identify your most valuable AI opportunities
• Align tools with real KPIs and business goals
• Train teams based on what they actually do
• Build momentum across every department

Ready to lead with AI, not lag behind? 

Request your custom AI Business Analysis and uncover where AI can deliver the most significant impact in your organization. The companies that thrive in 2026 will be the ones who move beyond experimentation—and WSI is here to help you get there.