Billion-Dollar Firms Swap AI Hype With Long-Term Capital Discipline, Data Shows

Hype can go hand in hand with immediacy.

Since artificial intelligence first went mainstream, the innovation has been framed as having an immediate impact.

As a result, the goals for enterprise buyers have centered around productivity gains that happen upon implementation; quick, cost-saving wins that justify experimentation; and other early, easy victories.

However, PYMNTS Intelligence’s February edition of The Enterprise AI Benchmark Report revealed that inside corporate finance functions, a more deliberate narrative around AI’s potential is taking hold as the technology itself matures.

The report surveyed 60 chief financial officers, each working at firms in the United States generating at least $1 billion in revenue in the last year. It found they are recalibrating expectations and treating generative AI not as a fast-return automation tool but as a long-duration transformation akin to the adoption of cloud computing or enterprise resource planning systems.

Expected timelines for full AI integration have nearly doubled as executives come to recognize the complexity of scaling AI across systems and controls, with CFOs now evaluating ROI across a portfolio of outcomes (customer experience, margins, productivity) and not a single financial metric, such as headcount.

The ongoing strategic question today has shifted from whether generative AI works to whether organizations can absorb it responsibly, integrate it securely and govern it effectively.

According to the report, 35% of firms cited AI output errors as of December, compared to 80% in July. This suggests that as organizations gain experience, they can resolve early concerns around generative AI governance, risk and change management, rather than discovering new problems.

A Portfolio View of Return on Investment

The shift in ROI and integration timelines has been accompanied by a redefinition of value. Rather than tying generative AI to a single metric, such as cost reduction or headcount efficiency, CFOs are evaluating returns across a portfolio of outcomes. Improvements in customer experience, faster cycle times, enhanced forecasting accuracy, and margin optimization now sit alongside productivity gains as indicators of success.

The operational constraint across the enterprise is no longer “Does generative AI work?” but “Can organizations absorb it responsibly and capture scalable benefits?”

Still, among the CFOs surveyed, 26% said it may take between 6 years and two decades for their organizations to see any ROI from AI integrations.

Why it matters: Finance functions historically validate whether a technology is scalable, auditable and economically durable. Their shift signals AI is becoming infrastructure, not a tool.

What’s happening:

Leaders distinguish between quick use-case wins and slow institutional change required to scale safely.

Some firms are compressing value timelines because AI slots neatly into digital-first operations.

Generative AI is used in capital management by 87% of CFOs, more than doubling from 40% in 5 months.

Satisfaction and effectiveness scores now land in the 80% to 100% range across deployed use cases.

Neutral or negative sentiment has either shrunk or largely disappeared as organizations gain hands-on experience.

Compared with July, December ratings of effectiveness strengthened in areas such as code generation, automated workflows, product innovation and real-time customer responses.

Read the report: What Happens When CFOs Get Serious About Gen AI

Taken together, these developments are reframing generative AI as a transformational investment rather than a cost-cutting mechanism. CFOs are approaching deployment with the discipline typically reserved for major capital programs, aligning adoption with long-term strategic planning rather than short-term efficiency targets.

Taken against this backdrop, AI hasn’t entered the disillusionment phase of the hype cycle. Instead, it has entered the sorting phase.

The next question is no longer whether AI will transform business. It’s which businesses are ready to be transformed.

For all PYMNTS AI coverage, subscribe to the daily AI Newsletter.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.