- Retail sector experiences the best AI satisfaction, with 96% of deployments assembly or exceeding expectations.
- Banking, Monetary Providers and Insurance coverage (BFSI) business allocates the bottom share of anticipated future AI spending to GenAI (38%), however AI initiatives are almost certainly to exceed expectations (33%).
- Healthcare business sees the largest improve in AI funding over 2025 at 169%.
August 26, 2025: Analysis from Lenovo reveals that 96% of retail sector AI deployments are assembly or exceeding expectations – outpacing different industries. Whereas finance and healthcare are investing closely, their outcomes present blended returns, highlighting sharp variations in how AI is being utilized throughout sectors.
The CIO Playbook 2025, Lenovo’s research of EMEA IT leaders in partnership with IDC, uncovers sharply totally different attitudes, funding methods, and outcomes throughout the Healthcare, Retail, and, Banking, Monetary Providers & Insurance coverage (BFSI) industries.
Warning Pays Off for EMEA BFSI and Retail sectors
Of all of the sectors analysed, BFSI stands out for its warning. Doubtlessly reflecting the extremely regulated nature of the business, solely 7% of organisations have adopted AI, and simply 38% of AI budgets allotted to Generative AI (GenAI) in 2025 – the bottom throughout all sectors surveyed. Whereas the business is taking a essentially measured strategy to innovation, the technique seems to be paying dividends: BFSI firms reported the best fee of AI initiatives exceeding expectations (33%), suggesting that when AI is deployed, it’s well-aligned with particular wants and workloads.
An identical sample is seen in Retail, the place 61% of organisations are nonetheless within the pilot section. Regardless of below-average projected spending development (97%), the sector reported a outstanding 96% of AI deployments up to now both assembly or exceeding expectations, the best mixed satisfaction rating amongst all industries surveyed.
Healthcare: Fast Funding, Uneven Outcomes
In distinction, the healthcare sector is transferring shortly to catch up, planning a 169% improve in AI spending over 2025, the most important improve of any business. However spend doesn’t immediately translate to success. Healthcare at the moment has the bottom AI adoption fee and the best proportion of organisations reporting that AI fell wanting expectations. This disconnect means that, whereas the business is investing closely, it might lack the inner experience or technique wanted to implement AI successfully and will require stronger exterior assist and steerage to make sure success.
One Expertise, Many Journeys
“These findings verify that there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to AI,” mentioned Simone Larsson, Head of Enterprise AI, Lenovo. “Whether or not companies want to take a daring leap with AI, or a extra measured step-by-step strategy, each business faces distinctive challenges and alternatives. No matter these components, identification of enterprise challenges and alternative areas adopted by the event of a sturdy plan supplies a basis on which to construct a profitable AI deployment.”
The CIO Playbook 2025 is designed to assist IT leaders benchmark their progress and be taught from friends throughout industries and geographies. The report supplies actionable insights on AI technique, infrastructure, and transformation priorities in 2025 and past. The total CIO Playbook 2025 report for EMEA could be downloaded right here.
Europe and Center East CIO Playbook 2025, It’s Time for AI-nomics options analysis from IDC, commissioned by Lenovo, which surveyed 620 IT decision-makers in 9 markets, [Denmark, Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Middle East, Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom]. Fieldwork was performed in November 2024.
Discover the total EMEA Lenovo AInomics Report right here.
