Samjong KPMG: "Global Companies to Sustain AI Investment Despite Economic Slowdown"

Three out of four global business leaders plan to keep artificial intelligence (AI) as their top investment priority, even in the face of a possible economic downturn. In particular, analysis shows that the key to translating AI investment into tangible business outcomes lies not in the technology itself, but in 'human capabilities' and 'organizational readiness'.

On April 17, KPMG, a global accounting and consulting firm, released the results of its 2026 Q1 "KPMG Global AI Pulse" survey, which analyzed the status and impact of AI investment and utilization among companies in 20 countries worldwide. The survey was conducted among senior executives at global companies with annual revenues exceeding 1 billion dollars (approximately 1.3 trillion won).

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According to the survey, 74% of global leaders responded that they would maintain AI as a core investment area even if an economic slowdown occurs within the next year. The amount of AI investment these companies are planning for the upcoming year averages 186 million dollars (about 250 billion won).

The report particularly noted that the business outcomes from AI adoption are becoming increasingly polarized among companies. Among "AI-leading companies," which account for 11% of all respondents, 82% answered that "AI is creating meaningful value," whereas the satisfaction rate among general companies was only 62%.

The decisive factor behind this gap was 'investment in talent.' Companies that expanded AI alongside talent investment achieved business outcomes at a level about four times higher (77% versus 20%) than those that did not. Accordingly, leading companies are restructuring their talent strategies by not only recruiting AI specialists (66%), but also through mergers and acquisitions to secure talent (36%) and introducing AI agent-based training programs (54%).

The scope of AI utilization is also expanding from simple automation to company-wide collaboration through 'AI agents.' Currently, 59% of companies have entered the stage of adopting and operating AI agents, with particularly rapid adoption in technology/IT (66%) and operations (55%). Leading companies are actively leveraging these agents to coordinate interdepartmental collaboration and manage company-wide decision-making processes.

However, concerns about security and risk remain. Among global leaders, 75% expressed worries about data security and privacy risks. Interestingly, the more mature a company is in AI, the greater its confidence in risk management. Only 20% of companies in the experimental stage were confident in their risk management, whereas the figure reached 49% among leading companies.

Dongkeun Lee, Head of the AI Center at Samjong KPMG, said, "Leading companies are restructuring work processes and transforming decision-making systems across their organizations by leveraging AI agents. Sustainable business outcomes are only possible when investments in trustworthy AI governance systems are accompanied by investments in talent, education, and change management."

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