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Why enterprise debts are blocking AI value – and how to fix it
While AI dominates the boardroom agenda, most enterprises are still trapped in pilots. New research from Genpact, in partnership with leading analyst firm HFS, based on a global survey of over 2,000 enterprise leaders, reveals why: enterprise debts, embedded across processes, data, technology, and talent, are quietly derailing scale and contributing to increased costs. The research estimates that resolving these debts could unlock $18 trillion in enterprise value and pave the way for the autonomous enterprise.
Unlock the $18 trillion opportunity
Read the reportWhat you'll learn
In this report, you'll discover:
- Why AI initiatives get stuck in pilot stages and why they won't scale
- How four enterprise debts compound into a system-wide failure
- Where up to $18 trillion in value may be trapped, and how to unlock it
- What separates the 6% of leaders breaking through to realize AI value
- How fixing the foundations becomes a competitive advantage
Four enterprise debts compounding into a single system failure
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Why this matters now
In the pre-AI era, enterprise inefficiencies were manageable. In the AI era, they've become structural blockers.
- AI trained on poor data produces flawed outcomes
- AI deployed into broken processes scales inefficiency
- AI without workforce readiness fails to deliver value
Every dollar spent on AI without fixing enterprise debt is a dollar working against itself. Yet more than half of enterprises have no funded debt resolution plan in place. What separates proven resolvers from the majority isn't ambition but the decisions they make to fix the foundation.
Q: Thinking about your top-ranked enterprise debt, do you have current initiatives in place to resolve this challenge?
Inertia is rampant
51% enterprises have no debt resolution plan, an unapproved plan, or have not started
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Download the full report to:
- Quantify your organization's exposure to enterprise debt
- Identify where value is trapped in your business
- Prioritize and sequence resolution efforts
- Benchmark against leading enterprises
Unlock enterprise value
Read the reportFrequently asked questions (FAQ)
Enterprise debts refer to the accumulated inefficiencies across:
- Inefficient, manual, and ungoverned processes that create unreliable execution in production
- Poor quality, fragmented, and non-AI-ready data that keeps AI stuck in proof of concept
- Legacy systems and integration complexity that increase cost and slow deployment
- Skills gaps and workforce misalignment that restrict adoption and human oversight
While these constraints have existed for years, the rise of AI has made them impossible to ignore, turning them from manageable inefficiencies into structural barriers to scale and value realization.
Resolving enterprise debts represents a significant untapped opportunity – estimated at $18 trillion according to our research – unlocking significant gains in growth (around 8% faster annual revenue growth), cost efficiency (roughly 16% annual cost reduction), and AI value realization across the enterprise.
Despite widespread awareness, more than half of enterprises lack a funded resolution strategy. The challenge is structural: enterprise debts span multiple functions, but no single leader owns them end to end, leading to fragmented, ineffective efforts.
No, enterprise debt resolution and AI transformation are the same program. Fixing the foundation is what enables AI to scale, deliver ROI and drive business impact.
- CEO and board-level leaders – enterprise debt resolution and AI transformation are a single, enterprise-wide mandate
- CIOs and CTOs modernizing technology foundations
- CDOs and data leaders improving data quality and AI readiness
- CFOs and business leaders focused on cost, growth, and ROI from AI investments
- COOs and transformation leaders optimizing processes and operating models
- CHROs and talent leaders preparing the workforce for human-AI collaboration
