In 2021, MIT and McKinsey collaborated to survey over 100 companies about their use of AI in operations, aiming to identify what distinguished top performers. They replicated this survey in 2023 to assess changes.

Their findings showed that the gap between leaders and other companies had increased; AI investment payback periods were shorter; and leading companies excelled at pinpointing and executing use cases that yielded positive results with less risk. They identified four key factors that set leaders apart: 1) Executive sponsorship backed their initiatives; 2) Partnerships shifted from academia and startups to a mature ecosystem of consultants, vendors, and industry partners, indicating AI's advancement to practicality; 3) Successful companies enjoyed better cross-department collaboration; and 4) Leaders were more likely to record and manage relevant equipment data.