Companies Post AI Gains as 2025 Investment Jumps 130% to $581.7 Billion
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Nov 1
Companies Post AI Gains as 2025 Investment Jumps 130% to $581.7 Billion
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Nov 1
Summary
Third-quarter earnings are starting to show tangible AI payoffs, with Santander saying its initiatives generated 194 million euros in business value in the first nine months of 2026.
Executives said the gains are coming from lower-value tasks being automated, stronger operating leverage and better customer targeting, letting revenue rise faster than costs at banks and other large companies.
Novartis said AI is now improving its P&L on a tangible basis as third-quarter core operating income rose 10% to $6.04 billion, while Standard Chartered linked part of its 14% operating-income growth to AI deployment.
The benefits are not yet uniform: Carlsberg said AI has improved internal processes but not at scale, even as its third-quarter revenue grew 4.9%.
The early returns matter because corporate AI investment hit $581.7 billion in 2025 and hyperscalers including Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta are expected to spend $700 billion combined on infrastructure this year.