The World Economic Forum has released a report showcasing successful applications of artificial intelligence (AI) that are yielding measurable benefits and demonstrating how organizations are advancing beyond initial trials to achieve significant results. As investments rise and expectations grow, the report emphasizes a widening gap between companies that effectively scale AI and those encountering challenges in its deployment. The report offers strategies to close this gap by drawing on real-world examples.
The report titled “Proof over Promise: Insights on Real-World AI Adoption from 2025 MINDS Organizations,” was created in partnership with Accenture. It compiles insights from the MINDS program, which highlights impactful AI applications worldwide, analyzing numerous cases from over 30 countries and spanning 20 industries such as healthcare and energy. An independent council of experts identified key trends in successful AI use, including integrating AI into decision-making, enhancing human-AI collaboration, improving data management, modernizing technology, and ensuring governance.
According to Stephan Mergenthaler from the World Economic Forum, many organizations are unsure how to harness AI’s potential. The showcased cases illustrate the transformation possible when ambition meets operational change, and the report serves as a practical guide for others to follow similar paths. Manish Sharma from Accenture added that leveraging AI effectively requires organized data and processes along with human creativity to maximize investment returns. He encourages organizations to develop clear plans focused on responsible innovation for AI implementation and scaling.
The Forum also announced the second cohort of MINDS, comprising 20 organizations pioneering high-impact AI solutions in areas like disease detection and energy optimization. Applications for the third MINDS cohort are now open, inviting public and private organizations to apply by demonstrating the impact and novelty of their AI projects. Selections will be made by an independent council following a shortlisting process by the Forum.
The report lists exemplary organizations from both the first and second cohorts of MINDS, classified by various sectors. In the information technology sector, companies like AMD and Synopsys improved chip-design productivity through AI, while KPMG and SAP accelerated enterprise migrations using an AI copilot. In energy management, firms like Horizon Power developed an AI for weather forecasting that significantly enhanced energy market predictions.
Improvements in battery manufacturing were noted as CATL automated designs and significantly cut research cycles. For global health, Ant Group created a multimodal health platform achieving high diagnostic accuracy. Robotics innovations included Hyundai’s developments in autonomous robots that optimize performance and efficiency.
In financial services, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China improved decision-making and profits through a large-scale financial model. Retail advancements included PepsiCo’s implementation of smart factory technology, reducing waste and saving costs, while Wumart streamlined operations with real-time AI.
In chemical and scientific discoveries, companies like Deep Principle automated materials simulations efficiently, and UCSF accelerated Parkinson’s drug research significantly. Engineering case studies highlighted Hitachi Rail’s AI analytics for transportation efficiency and Fujitsu’s AI agents reducing supply chain costs substantially.
In advanced manufacturing, firms like Foxconn automated workflows efficiently and Siemens implemented visual inspection systems to save operational costs. Socially, Tech Mahindra’s multilingual AI systems enhanced digital services across diverse regions, benefiting millions of users.