Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can help drive innovation, enhance productivity, and transform operations, among other potential benefits. Yet data collected throughout 2024 reveals not all sectors have capitalized on the technology’s potential in equal measure. For instance, information firms led all others surveyed this year in reporting very positive ROI from GenAI adoption; 65% experienced this success.1 Construction firms earned a distant second place, as closer to half as many firms reported very positive ROI (37%).
Industries like retail have found value with relevant baseline applications like chatbots. Although the customer service implications can be meaningful, just 17% of retail firms reported very positive ROI from GenAI. Barriers such as skill shortages can make building up this ROI more difficult.
These are just some of the findings detailed in “Generative AI’s ROI Divide: How Leading Industries Are Innovating While Others Lag.” This edition of our ongoing study of GenAI’s enterprise applications examines the technology’s role across industries. It draws from surveys of 180 CFOs, 180 CMOs and 180 COOs, fielded between March 2024 and November 2024.
Information Sector a Leader in GenAI ROI
The information sector has achieved notable results in scaling GenAI usage up and realizing returns through targeted, high-impact applications. Uses in the information sector spotlight the technology’s versatility — namely its ability to help solve very different problems. For example, 71% of firms in this sector leverage the technology to generate brand-new content. Meanwhile, 57% deploy the technology for automated cybersecurity systems. These diverse uses illustrate how information firms can align GenAI with their specific strategic goals to maximize ROI.
According to C-suite executives, GenAI is key to organizational success. When firms move beyond basic tools, they can better deliver tangible outcomes. Information sector executives identify innovation and strategic insights as the top two gained benefits from leveraging AI. This focus privileges the leveraging of GenAI not just for operational gains but also for building new capabilities, with 52% of information sector firms deploying GenAI for high-impact tasks like content generation and cybersecurity.
This strategic alignment translates directly to superior financial outcomes. Fifty-seven percent of firms in the information sector report very positive ROI from their GenAI deployments. No other industry surveyed featured as many successful firms. Information firms are 49% more likely than others to move beyond standard, off-the-shelf solutions.
The information sector has established itself as a GenAI leader. Sector businesses’ ability to customize GenAI tools and create proprietary LLMs has likely solidified this leadership. The success in prioritizing high-impact needs like cybersecurity may translate in other industries as they look to transition from baseline GenAI applications to more transformative, ROI-driving use cases.
Manufacturing and Construction Firms Enhance Efficiency With GenAI
Manufacturing and construction — industries defined by manual labor — represent an interesting twist on GenAI adoption. Despite low-tech reputations, these industries use GenAI to drive efficiency and innovation. Both sectors report strong adoption of the technology for high-impact tasks, which can extract meaningful returns when deployments align with core operations. PYMNTS Intelligence data finds that 56% of manufacturing firms use GenAI to generate feedback on production processes.
A sizable share of construction firms deploy GenAI for product innovation. Overall, the sector’s focus for GenAI deployment is high-value tasks. Roughly 1 in 3 construction companies use the technology to identify fraudulent behavior or inconsistencies, and a similar share of manufacturers follow suit. Further analysis reveals that 44% of construction firms report the technology contributes to product or service innovation; in the manufacturing sector, 59% link GenAI to this innovation. The manufacturing and construction sectors recognize innovation and efficiency as top benefits from leveraging the technology.
Nevertheless, construction companies still experience a notable ROI deficiency. Just 37% report very positive ROI from GenAI use, even as a larger share notes that it contributes to innovation. This disparity may reflect the challenges of scaling GenAI solutions across complex construction projects or integrating them into existing workflows.
On the other hand, manufacturing firms appear to have cracked the code to benefit from GenAI’s ability to optimize production processes. Their targeted use of GenAI for production feedback and their successful innovation highlight the success of the sector’s pragmatic approach.
Retail Firms Elevate Customer Engagement With GenAI but Face Customization Challenges
The retail sector has embraced generative AI, with 71% of firms deploying it for customer-facing chatbots. These bots are pivotal tools for managing high volumes of interactions. Customer engagement directly impacts business outcomes in retail, meaning chatbots serve as high-impact applications. They streamline service delivery, personalize customer interactions, and enhance operational efficiency, making GenAI a cornerstone of modern retail workflows.
However, retail firms remain heavily reliant on general-purpose tools despite these advances. We find that 61% use just existing baseline models. This reliance on off-the-shelf technology likely limits their ability to achieve more transformative ROI. Customization and advanced use cases, which typically drive this ROI, remain underexplored.
For comparison, sectors like information and manufacturing are ahead when building on existing or developing proprietary solutions; 70% and 69% do so, respectively. These customized strategies align GenAI applications with specific operational goals, such as cybersecurity and production optimization, unlocking greater returns.
Notably, 100% of retail firms surveyed report using general-purpose conversational AI, emphasizing its role in addressing frequent customer interactions. While effective for engagement, this approach lacks the innovative depth seen in other sectors that leverage GenAI for broader strategic tasks. This highlights an opportunity for retail to expand beyond chatbot success to explore tailored applications. Personalized product recommendations, dynamic pricing, or supply chain optimization could lead more firms to report very positive ROI.
The retail sector’s commitment to enhancing customer engagement through GenAI is evident. Retailers can amplify their success by investing in the next frontier of advanced, customized applications.
Budget Projections Reflect GenAI Optimism
C-suite executives across industries express strong optimism about generative AI’s transformative potential. More than 90% of executives across retail, education and information agree that GenAI increases productivity, with many others reporting it accelerates innovation.
This widespread optimism is reflected in budgetary trends. Executives anticipate full GenAI integration within seven to eight years, with nearly half of surveyed organizations planning to increase budgets to support this goal. While sectors such as information and manufacturing lead in ROI, even industries facing challenges from deeper adoption, like retail, show a commitment to investing in GenAI capabilities.
Higher-performing sectors, such as information and construction, tend to allocate more resources to GenAI, underscoring their focus on high-impact tasks. For lagging sectors, this trend highlights the need to match investment levels with more ambitious, customized use cases to unlock similar ROI.
As organizations prepare for full integration, aligning budgets with targeted strategies will be critical. Industries that combine increased spending with a focus on innovation and efficiency stand to benefit most from GenAI’s transformative potential.
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Methodology
“Generative AI’s ROI Divide: How Leading Industries Are Innovating While Others Lag” is based on a series of surveys conducted from March 2024 to November 2024. The series examines how organizations across industries adopt generative AI (GenAI), highlighting key use cases, ROI outcomes, and adoption challenges. Our total sample includes 540 C-suite executives — 180 CFOs, 180 CMOs, and 180 COOs — representing firms in the United States with revenues of at least $1 billion annually.
1. [Firm categories are provided by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).]↩
