SPI study: AI use nearly doubles in professional services, but revenue gains lag

SPI Research found AI use in professional services projects rose to 43.6% in 2026 from 23.1% in 2025, with broad adoption linked to stronger on-time delivery. The study also found most firms see time savings, but far fewer are turning those gains into revenue.

Why it matters: - AI is becoming a core operating tool in professional services, not just an experiment. - The biggest upside so far is operational: better productivity, efficiency and on-time delivery. - The biggest gap is financial: many firms are saving time, but fewer are converting those savings into revenue.

What happened: - SPI Research said AI was used on 43.6% of professional services projects in 2026, up from 23.1% in 2025. - The findings come from SPI Research’s 2026 Impact of AI on Professional Services report. - The study drew input from 245 organizations. - 84.8% of surveyed organizations said they realize value through time savings. - 29.9% said they realize value through revenue generation.

The details: - Firms using AI on more than 80% of projects reported 90.7% on-time delivery. - Firms using AI on fewer than 20% of projects reported 76.3% on-time delivery. - 86.6% of firms said AI increased productivity and efficiency, up from 71.5% in 2025. - Firms running complex agents or AI-first operating models reported professional services EBITDA margins of 20.5%. - Firms at the chat-assisted stage or with no formal AI use reported EBITDA margins of 13.3%. - 36.8% of firms do not formally track any AI outcomes. - Only 19.1% track AI’s impact on billable utilization. - 59.9% of firms said clients expect AI-enabled service delivery, up from 45.0% in 2025. - 71.9% require human review before client delivery. - 35.0% require source attribution or validation. - The report introduces the SPI AI Maturity Model™, a five-level framework covering adoption, data readiness, project use, workforce proficiency, leadership support, outcome measurement and governance. - The report identifies four foundations for scaling AI: ready data, an outcome scorecard, trained people and agents operating within defined guardrails. - The research also flags a risk for hourly-billing firms that may pass time savings to clients without capturing additional revenue.

Between the lines: - The research suggests AI adoption is already improving delivery discipline before it consistently improves top-line growth. - Firms with deeper AI integration appear to gain more than firms using AI only for chat or narrow task support. - The measurement gap may be slowing monetization because firms cannot easily prove which AI gains translate into billable performance or margin expansion. - The governance numbers suggest many firms are moving faster on usage than on controls.

What's next: - SPI Research said firms will need ready data, better measurement and trained staff to scale AI effectively. - Firms will likely face pressure from clients to deliver AI-enabled services while also proving quality and accountability. - Hourly-billing models may need to adjust if time savings keep rising faster than revenue capture.

The bottom line: - AI is already helping professional services firms deliver better and faster, but most are still learning how to turn that efficiency into durable financial gains.