In 2021, researchers at MIT and McKinsey teamed up to ask more than 100 companies how they were using AI in their operations and to learn what separated the highest-performing companies from the rest. They conducted a similar survey in 2023 to see what had changed. They found that the gap between leading companies and the rest had widened; that the payback-period for AI investments was much shorter; and that leading companies were better at identifying and implementing use cases that delivered positive outcomes with lower risk. They also identified four factors that set leading companies apart: 1) Their efforts had executive sponsorship; 2) That the network of partnerships had shifted away from academia and startups to a maturing ecosystem of consultants, vendors, and industry partners, suggesting AI had matured enough that practical approaches are most valued; 3) That successful companies had smoother cross-departmental collaboration; and 4) That leading companies were more likely to record and manage relevant equipment data.