FPT study finds firms struggle to scale AI beyond pilots

FPT has published a global study on the difficulties organisations face in scaling artificial intelligence beyond pilot projects, highlighting a gap between AI spending and operational maturity.

Conducted by Forrester Consulting on FPT's behalf, the study surveyed 397 business and technology decision-makers and included interviews with senior executives across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Japan. It covered sectors including automotive, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, energy and sports.

More than half of respondents said their organisations now allocate at least 5% of IT budgets to AI. Yet only 26% described themselves as advanced in operationalising the technology, suggesting many businesses still struggle to move from experimentation to broader deployment.

The findings point to structural issues rather than a simple lack of investment. Integration complexity was cited by 41% of respondents as a barrier to operationalising AI, while 38% pointed to data silos.

The research also highlighted a gap between AI ambitions and organisational readiness. Only 39% of surveyed organisations reported meaningful progress in aligning strategy, governance and operating models.

Measurement emerged as another weak spot. Some 35% of respondents said they do not collect quantified metrics on AI, while 10% said they do not measure AI outcomes in any form.

That makes it harder to decide which projects should be expanded and which should be cut back. It also helps explain why many AI initiatives remain stuck in pilot phases despite continued interest from boards and management teams.

Operational focus

The survey suggests most current AI deployment is aimed at operational improvements rather than fundamental business redesign. Automation and cost reduction were among the main motivations, while only 34% of respondents said their organisations were pursuing an AI-first operating model.

This points to a more cautious pattern of adoption, with businesses using AI to improve existing processes before attempting broader organisational change. The report argues that scaling AI across an enterprise increasingly depends on governance, integration and operating discipline rather than access to the technology alone.

Partner selection also reflects that shift. Respondents increasingly value providers that can engineer, deploy and run AI systems across the full lifecycle, with 48% citing that as a priority. The same share highlighted governance and security, while 47% pointed to integration with existing systems.

Regional differences were evident. Demand for full lifecycle support was particularly strong in North America, where 59% of respondents identified it as a priority, and in EMEA, where the figure was 54%.

In Asia Pacific and Japan, the study found greater emphasis on end-to-end strategic and execution support. That suggests companies in different markets may be approaching the same scaling challenge from different starting points, depending on internal maturity and market conditions.

Company context

FPT, a Vietnam-headquartered technology and IT services company, said the findings reflect a broader shift in how large organisations are approaching AI adoption. Businesses are moving away from isolated experiments and towards more coordinated models for deployment and management.

The company reported revenue of USD $2.66 billion in 2025 and said it employs more than 54,000 people across more than 30 countries and territories. It has also been expanding its AI-related products, frameworks and engineering resources as demand for implementation work grows.

"We believe this study also builds upon insights from FPT's decade-long experience working alongside global clients across industries, where we have seen AI ambition grow rapidly, but scaling it remains the real challenge," said Pham Minh Tuan, Executive Vice President of FPT Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of FPT Software.

"As AI ecosystems become more complex, organizations can no longer move forward in silos - they need partners who can bridge strategy, integration, governance, and operations to turn innovation into repeatable, enterprise-wide execution. At FPT, we are committed to co-innovating with our clients at every stage of their journey, helping them scale AI in ways that are stronger, faster, more secure and more efficient - ultimately building more resilient organizations ready for the next frontier of AI adoption," Tuan said.