Aptean AI research shows industry-specific AI outperforms

Aptean, an AI company for industrial businesses, released its 2026 Artificial Intelligence Research on July 28, 2026. The multi-region study, commissioned from Vanson Bourne, surveyed 1,535 decision-makers across six countries and five industries. Key findings include that companies using industry-specific AI outperformed those using only general-purpose AI on seven of eight operational KPIs, 88% of leaders consider purpose-built AI critical, 40% of employees use unauthorized 'Shadow AI', and 96% say a formal AI governance framework is necessary. Despite early failures, 83% cite opportunity as their primary motivator for AI investment.