The AI Wire

A weekly, free rundown of the consulting-firm AI research that matters: the headline figures, why they matter, and what nobody else has checked yet.

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Latest issue · 26 Oct to 2 Nov 2026

McKinsey: 17% of US AI Users Have Bought Through an AI Tool, Up From 10%

McKinsey: 17% of US AI users have bought through an AI tool, up from 10%. Plus Deloitte on AI and decision rights, and McKinsey on sourcing agents.

Archive

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26 October 2026

BCG: 81% of US Shoppers Expect to Use AI Agents, Just 4% of Consumers Would Let One Buy

BCG: 81% of US consumers expect to use AI shopping agents, but only 4% would let one complete a purchase. Also: Accenture's survey of 3,000 C-suite leaders.

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12 October 2026

McKinsey: 80% Say AI Lifts Their Productivity, 37% Report a Positive EBIT Impact

McKinsey: 80% say AI lifts personal productivity, 37% report positive EBIT impact. Forrester on product data, SAP agents and shared AI supplier dependencies.

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BCG: 42% of Firms Expect AI Agents to Make Real Decisions by 2030, but Only 5% Have the Controls

BCG finds 42% of firms expect AI agents to make real decisions by 2030, but only 5% have the controls. Bain, Gartner and EY cover cost and measurement.

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28 September 2026

Gartner: Just 5% of Firms Will Automate Even 10% of Supply Chain Planning by 2030

Gartner predicts only 5% of firms will run supply chains autonomously by 2030, and new research asks whether AI builds or erodes human judgement.

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21 September 2026

McKinsey: The Real AI Opportunity Is in the Gaps Between the Work

McKinsey found $140-240m a year lost to workflow handoffs at one manufacturer, plus BCG's AI governance framework and a warning on eroding skills.

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15 September 2026

AI's $4.7 Trillion Profit Shift, and the Value Gap That Still Won't Close

Bain sizes AI's profit shift at $4.7 trillion. EY finds only 12% of CEOs see AI impact reviewed by senior management. Plus layoff and governance warnings.

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Three Surveys, One Number: Only 6% of Companies Are Seeing Real Value From AI

McKinsey and BCG independently land on the same 6% for real AI value. Gartner finds few have scaled AI, and chatbots had a rough week.

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The Real Cost of an AI Agent Is the People Watching It, McKinsey Finds

Human oversight, not tokens, drives most of an AI agent's running cost, McKinsey finds. Gartner shows firms funding AI by cutting the labour agents need back.