AI adoption rises but IT leaders still worry about security risks
The 2025 Celonis AI Process Optimisation Report, based on a survey of 1,620 business leaders from various global regions including Australia and the broader Asia-Pacific (APAC), highlights that 90% of IT leaders hold reservations regarding the expanding use of AI.
The survey participants were drawn from companies with a minimum revenue of USD $500 million, and 80% of these companies reported revenue ranging between USD $2 billion and USD $10 billion.
Security and data breaches emerged as the primary concern, with 45% of IT leaders identifying these risks as their top issue regarding AI adoption. Pressure to demonstrate a return on investment and a widening skills gap followed closely, with each cited by 37% of respondents as key challenges. Additionally, almost one third of the business leaders surveyed indicated that the expectations placed on AI technologies are frequently unrealistic.
The report also noted a range of sectors represented in the study: 25% of respondents worked in IT, with equal proportions from Supply Chain, Finance/Shared Services, and Operations/Process Improvement sectors. Despite widespread adoption of AI, the research suggests there is limited focus among leaders on the foundational business processes required for successful AI integration. "Process shortcomings ranked surprisingly low, which suggests many IT leaders may not yet recognise how critical optimised processes are to effective AI deployment. Issues like data quality and system inefficiencies, which are key drivers of AI failure, can often be solved through process intelligence," said Pascal Coubard, APAC Lead at Celonis.
In the Supply Chain sector, the report found that AI has already been employed for automated inventory management by 55% and for warehouse automation by 49% of respondents.
However, only 40% are currently using AI for transport network and route planning. The study indicates this is set to change, with 96% of supply chain leaders planning to adopt AI in these areas within the next 12 months as part of an expanded investment in technological automation.
Finance and Shared Services leaders appear optimistic about the future of AI in their field. The report revealed that 70% of leaders in these areas have a mandate to invest in AI to improve efficiency. At present, 54% are using AI to automate routine tasks, with increasing interest in applications such as fraud detection, cash flow optimisation, and regulatory compliance.
The majority anticipate full-scale adoption, with at least 90% expecting to have deployed AI in every major use case by the middle of 2026.
Within Process Improvement and Operations, the trend towards automation continues.
More than half of the leaders in this sector said they are already employing AI for continuous improvement and process automation initiatives. Even in areas reporting lower current adoption, such as identifying new optimisation opportunities, most intend to expand their use of AI over the coming year. Nearly 90% of these leaders expect intelligent automation to deliver the greatest business value in the next five years. "AI is no longer experimental. It's being embedded into the fabric of the way businesses operate," Coubard added. "But to fully realise its potential, companies must feed AI with the process knowledge and business context provided by process intelligence. Otherwise, they risk automating inefficiency and missing the opportunity entirely. And when processes work, AI works."
The findings suggest that while adoption of AI is increasing, concerns among IT leaders and the need for a greater focus on underlying business processes remain significant factors in shaping the future role of AI in large enterprises.
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