How Top Companies Are Winning With AI: Strategies & Playbook

📷 Photo by Igor Omilaev

Many companies are still working out how to use AI in a steady and practical way — but a small group is already pulling ahead. New research from NTT DATA outlines a playbook that reveals how these "AI leaders" set themselves apart through strong plans, firm decisions, and a disciplined approach to building and deploying AI across their organisations.

The findings come from a survey of 2,567 senior executives across 35 countries and 15 industries. Only 15% of organisations met the bar to be considered AI leaders. These companies share a few defining traits: clear direction on where AI fits into their business, a solid operating model, and consistent follow-through. They also reported higher revenue growth and stronger profit margins than their peers in the study.

💬 "AI accountability now belongs in the boardroom and demands an enterprise-wide agenda. Our research shows that a small group of AI leaders already are using AI to differentiate, grow and reinvent how humans and machines create value together."

— Yutaka Sasaki, President and CEO, NTT DATA Group

🧩 The Playbook Behind Strong AI Plans

One of the clearest differences between leaders and the rest is how they approach strategy. For these companies, AI is not a side project or a tool bolted onto existing work — they treat it as a core driver of growth and adjust their entire plans to match that view.

A major advantage for these leaders is how closely they connect AI with their business goals. This alignment helps them move faster and stay focused, which in turn delivers stronger financial outcomes. They also zero in on a few high-value areas of the business rather than spreading resources too thin.

🚀 How Leaders Put Their Plans to Work

A good plan only works when backed by strong execution. AI leaders stand out through the foundations they build, the way they support their people, and how they drive adoption across the entire organisation.

These companies invest in secure and scalable infrastructure capable of supporting large AI workloads. In some cases, they shift or localise their systems to support private or sovereign AI requirements — and actively remove bottlenecks so teams can move without roadblocks.

AI leaders also treat adoption as a long-term change effort — a company-wide shift supported by clear communication and structured change management. This reduces pushback and encourages steady, organisation-wide use of AI at all levels.

💬 "Once AI and business strategies are aligned, the single most effective move is to pick one or two domains that deliver disproportionate value and redesign them end-to-end with AI. Supporting this focused, end-to-end approach with strong governance, modern infrastructure and trusted partners is how today's AI leaders are turning pilots into profit and pulling ahead of the market."

— Abhijit Dubey, CEO and CAIO, NTT DATA, Inc.

📌 Research based on a global survey of 2,567 senior executives across 35 countries and 15 industries, conducted by NTT DATA.