In the same week that The Bank of England called on financial services firms to join its AI consortium, Cledra have released finding of a report that, at it heart, finds the use of AI in business may be a bit underwhelming.
While Artificial Intelligence adoption rates have surged, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are now beginning to reflect on the true value and return on investment (ROI) of these technologies.
The Cledara AI Report 2025 provides valuable insights into the current state of AI in the business world, highlighting adoption trends, spending patterns, and the perceived benefits of AI tools.
The Rise and Stall of AI Tools
AI has undoubtedly generated significant interest, and many businesses are eager to capitalise on its promise of increased efficiency and automation.
According to the report, ChatGPT remains the most widely used Artificial Intelligence tool, dominating the market with 33 times more usage than its nearest competitor.
However, since January 2024, the growth of ChatGPT’s adoption has slowed, raising questions about whether the AI hype has reached its peak or if more innovation is yet to come.
Interestingly, while ChatGPT maintains a commanding lead, smaller players like Perplexity and Claude are rapidly gaining ground, with usage growth rates of 238% and 367%, respectively.
This shift suggests that businesses are increasingly exploring alternative Artificial Intelligence solutions to fit their specific needs, indicating the potential for a more diverse AI ecosystem in the future.
Despite the early surge in AI tool adoption, there is a sobering reality: many businesses are not yet seeing the tangible value they anticipated.
While 82% of companies are using it regularly, only 47% report experiencing measurable benefits. These figures reveal that more than half of businesses are still waiting to unlock the full potential of Artificial Intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence Spending: Cautious Optimism
When it comes to AI-related spending, the report shows mixed results.
Artificial Intelligence spending has grown by 446% over the past 12 months, but that growth has slowed to just 22% in the last six months.
While ChatGPT’s market saturation may explain its slower growth, OpenAI has also seen relatively modest spending growth at 38%.
Meanwhile, smaller tools like Clay have shown explosive spending growth of 600%. Clay’s ability to source accounts, enrich data, and automate outreach has made it a valuable tool for businesses looking to optimise their operations.
Despite the slowing pace of AI spending growth, businesses are largely optimistic about the future.
More than half of the companies surveyed plan to increase their software spending in response to AI, with 42.1% expecting a moderate increase and 7.9% planning for significant growth.
However, 31.6% of businesses foresee no significant changes to their budgets, suggesting that AI might be integrated within existing software budgets rather than driving substantial new investment.
AI Adoption in B2B Payments: A Key Opportunity
One of the most exciting areas for AI adoption is the payments industry, particularly in the B2B space.
AI has the potential to streamline payments and fraud prevention, automate compliance with regulatory requirements, and enhance customer experiences through personalisation.
In the B2B payments landscape, AI tools can automate many of the processes that currently rely on manual intervention, such as invoice management, identity verification, and cross-border transactions.
With the growing complexity of global payments and the increasing pressure to enhance security, AI can provide the necessary tools to handle these challenges effectively.
However, Artificial Intelligence adoption in payments is not without its hurdles. High turnover rates for AI tools, as noted in the report, suggest that businesses are still experimenting with different solutions.
ChatGPT, for example, experiences a monthly churn rate of 4.19%, while other top AI tools show an average churn rate of 3.25%. These figures indicate that businesses are still testing tools before committing to long-term adoption.
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