NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 7, 2026 / As AI adoption explodes, enterprises are stumbling in their efforts to demonstrate a material return on investment, according to a new report from WSJ Intelligence and Code and Theory, a Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) agency.
Enterprises now have an average of 183 AI tools. Yet the vast majority (85%) don't have the systems to connect their tech, despite 94% of respondents saying that better orchestration of tools is essential to growth.
These are the key findings from a new study of 801 C-suite executives at U.S. companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue. The results point to what the report defines as "the orchestration gap," a widening distance between deploying AI and operating as a connected, agentic enterprise.
While 85% of the C-suite say AI must now deliver measurable ROI, the opposite appears to be occurring. Three in five executives say tool proliferation has left strategic execution stagnant. And two-thirds of organizations routinely uncover redundant AI investments.
As the report points out, a lack of clear ownership at the top is core to the issue. Nearly half (42%) of CEOs believe they own AI orchestration. Meanwhile, 57% of technology leaders believe the same, and one in four companies admit that no one is clearly accountable.
Executives say that the barriers to orchestration are cultural and structural rather than technical. The main culprits are siloed mindsets and corporate culture (61%), fragmented data and incompatible data models (58%), the absence of a centralized operating layer (56%), skill set gaps (38%) and budget (29%).
Other notable takeaways include:
- Only 15% of AI investments currently operate as a unified system with shared intelligence across the organization.
- Yet more than two-thirds of companies have not issued an RFP for a centralized orchestration system.
- 78% of executives report that customer-facing channels lack a unified data model and brand architecture.
- 18% apply the same governance and accountability standards to AI agents that they apply to human leaders.
Dan Gardner, Co-Founder of Code and Theory, says: "What business leaders are experiencing now feels very different from the early promise of AI. AI hasn't proven it can autonomously achieve value on its own. Businesses are struggling to connect the people, systems and data around it. What they are missing is an orchestration layer. Once that layer is in place, the opportunity expands from individual efficiency to unlocking value across the entire business."
The full report, "The Orchestration Gap: Why AI Investment Isn't Driving Enterprise Performance," is available at codeandtheory.com/orchestrationgap.
About Code and Theory
Code and Theory is the digital transformation agency where the C-suite comes together to create change. Our differentiated balance of 50% creatives and 50% engineers at scale allows us to bring strategy, creativity and technology together in one integrated offering. This enables our clients to gain competitive advantages in how they operate, market and serve their customers. Code and Theory is Stagwell's (STGW) digital transformation network, which includes its flagship agency, Code and Theory, along with Create. Group, Current, Instrument, Kettle, Left Field Labs and Truelogic. Code and Theory is the most decorated agency of the past three years, with 20 top agency honors, including Ad Age, Adweek and Fast Company. Our clients include Amazon, IBM, JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, NBC and the NFL. For more, visit codeandtheory.com.
About WSJ Intelligence
WSJ Intelligence conducts best-in-class bespoke thought leadership for commercial clients of The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, Mansion Global & Investor's Business Daily. Using various qualitative and quantitative methodologies and rigorous analysis, WSJ Intelligence collaborates with clients to create compelling and clear executive-level narratives and uses our world-class brands as distribution channels. WSJ Intelligence is a unit of The Wall Street Journal advertising department. The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content.
Media Contact
Kenneth Hein
kenneth.hein@codeandtheory.com
SOURCE: Stagwell
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire