Companies promised AI gains— here's how the payoff showed up in earnings
Santander, Novartis and other companies say AI is beginning to boost revenue, cut costs or improve profitability as investors seek returns.
TL;DR
- Corporate AI investment is projected to reach $581.7 billion in 2025, a significant increase from the previous year.
- Santander reported 194 million euros ($216 million) in business value generated by AI initiatives in the first nine months of 2026.
- Novartis CEO indicated that AI is starting to tangibly improve the company's P&L, contributing to R&D productivity and marketing & sales performance.
- Standard Chartered saw AI appearing across its business, contributing to top-line growth and operating leverage where income grew faster than costs.
- Meta reported that its AI investments delivered substantial incremental advertising revenue, while Alphabet's Google Cloud revenue more than doubled.
- Carlsberg noted that while AI benefits are not yet at scale, the technology has impacted internal processes, cost efficiency, and pricing.