What happened
Accenture published the inaugural AI Progress Barometer on June 29–30, 2026, tracking AI readiness across approximately 3,000 of the world's largest companies on a 0–100 scale across four pillars: strategic direction, technology foundations, people and skills, and process reinvention. Key findings: North American companies lead on overall AI readiness (48.9 vs. 43.1 for Europe), but Europe improved faster over the past six months (+1.6 vs. +1.1 points). A pronounced intra-European divide emerges: the largest European firms (revenue >$10B) trail North American peers by only 2.1 points (47.4 vs. 49.5), but smaller European companies lag by 7.6 points (40.5 vs. 48.1). By sector, insurance showed the largest improvement (+8 to 48.6), followed by travel and consumer goods. The Barometer will be updated every six months, creating a new longitudinal benchmark for AI adoption at enterprise scale.
Why it matters
The first instalment of a new biannual benchmark from Accenture gives boards and CEOs a quantified peer-comparison tool for AI readiness; the 7.6-point SME gap and technology-foundations regression (-1.2 points in Europe) identify the two most urgent investment priorities.
Action needed
Use the four-pillar framework (strategy, technology foundations, people, process reinvention) to benchmark your organisation's AI readiness score against sector and regional peers ahead of the next Barometer edition in H2 2026.