Newsroom
Events
Subscribe

Canadian businesses satisfied with AI, but limited enterprise adoption persists

RSM’s 2026 AI survey offers governance and integration insights for leaders

July 21, 2026
#
Predictive analytics Risk consulting Business risk consulting Agentic AI Generative AI Data infrastructure Management consulting Strategy and planning Technology risk consulting Business applications Data & digital services Tax technology Artificial intelligence Business intelligence Application development Machine learning
IT infrastructure Business tax Managed cloud and IT Business transformation

Canadian business leaders are approaching artificial intelligence more cautiously than their U.S. counterparts, according to RSM’s 2026 AI survey results. Canadians reported less investment, fewer structured pilots and a shallower integration of AI into core operations relative to respondents in the U.S.

Ninety-seven per cent of both Canadian and U.S. respondents reported overall personal satisfaction with AI’s value to their business. However, Canadian respondents were significantly less likely than U.S. respondents to say they are “very satisfied” with AI’s business value (59 per cent versus 67 per cent), and less likely to report that AI is fully integrated into their organization's core operations and processes (29 per cent versus 38 per cent).

We aren't seeing many organizations create advanced, customized solutions or agentic systems that actively require an orchestration layer yet. The majority of organizations are investing in safe bets or the low-hanging fruit of dependable AI that enhances productivity.
Sonya King, Management Consulting Director, RSM Canada

Where Canadian adoption stands

A more careful posture among Canadian business leaders is evident throughout the survey. Canadian respondents who conducted AI pilots in the past 24 months were significantly less likely than their U.S. peers to say their AI pilots were structured with defined goals and success criteria (42 per cent versus 57 per cent) and that those pilots were highly successful (37 per cent vs. 52 per cent).

Additionally, Canadian respondents were significantly less likely to report their returns on AI investment exceeded expectations (43 per cent versus 57 per cent).

Ownership of AI strategy also diverges along national lines. Canadian respondents were more than twice as likely as their U.S. counterparts to report no single owner—or only shared ownership—of AI strategy (7 per cent versus 3 per cent).

While U.S. respondents most often pointed to the chief information officer or IT as the final decision maker on AI investments and budgets (29 per cent compared to 17 per cent), Canadian respondents most often named the board of directors (21 per cent versus 13 per cent).

Obstacles to deeper deployment

The top inhibitors of AI deployment among Canadian respondents were:

27%

Security and privacy concerns

25%

Talent and skills gaps 

24%

Data issues related to quality, availability and lineage 

24%

Integration with legacy systems

These challenges are similar to what U.S. business leaders identified as their biggest barriers. However, a lower percentage of Canadian respondents said they believe their organizations have the right in-house AI experts to implement AI solutions effectively—79 per cent compared to 90 per cent.

Despite a relatively lower figure, this in-house confidence suggests that “Canadian businesses are investing in AI as a long-term foundation in their operations, not a temporary feature,” says Sonya King, management consulting director at RSM Canada.

But that confidence in internal teams isn’t translating into the same level of outside investment as it does among U.S. organizations. According to the report, Canadian organizations are significantly less likely than their U.S. counterparts to report they are currently:

  • Buying additional AI capabilities from external providers (38 per cent versus 56 per cent).
  • Building additional capabilities in-house (40 per cent versus 58 per cent).
  • Establishing strategic partnerships with AI providers (47 per cent versus 58 per cent).

A more cautious investment outlook

Canadian organizations are also spending comparatively less on AI than their U.S. peers. A majority of Canadian respondents (52 per cent) said their organization will invest less than $1 million on AI in the current fiscal year, compared with 36 per cent of U.S. respondents.

However, 69 per cent of Canadian respondents expect their organization's AI spending to increase in the next fiscal year. While this is a strong signal of continued commitment, it is well below the 87 per cent figure reported by U.S. respondents.

The source of funding for AI initiatives also warrants careful examination. In the broader survey, 41 per cent of respondents who expect their AI spend to increase in the next fiscal year believe their cybersecurity budgets will be reduced to help fund AI spend; this trade-off is noteworthy given that security and privacy is the top deployment concern identified by Canadian respondents.

"New AI tools introduce model and data governance risks, expanded third-party exposure through vendor APIs and integrations, prompt injection and data leakage vectors, and shadow AI usage that often sits outside existing security controls entirely," King says.

AI’s future among Canadian businesses

RSM’s survey results suggestCanadian business leaders are personally satisfied with what AI is already delivering and are making tangible investments in the people and foundations to support its use.

Where Canadian respondents diverge most significantly from their U.S. counterparts is in how they deploy AI—at a more measured pace and with more open debate about how far and how fast to go.

Business leaders in Canada intent on accelerating AI integration can take inspiration from the survey’s U.S. respondents by tightening pilot rigour, clarifying ownership of AI strategy and pairing internal capability with the outside expertise needed to move from dependable productivity gains to enterprise-wide impact.

Download the full report now to learn more

Accelerate your AI strategy with RSM's AI readiness assessment

Begin with a customized AI roadmap built for results

Take the next step toward AI maturity

THE POWER OF BEING UNDERSTOOD

ASSURANCE | TAX | CONSULTING

RSM Canada LLP is a limited liability partnership that provides public accounting services and is the Canadian member firm of RSM International, a global network of independent assurance, tax and consulting firms. RSM Canada Consulting LP is a limited partnership that provides consulting services and is an affiliate of RSM US LLP, a member firm of RSM International. The member firms of RSM International collaborate to provide services to global clients but are separate and distinct legal entities that cannot obligate each other. Each member firm is responsible only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of any other party. Visit rsmcanada.com/about for more information regarding RSM Canada and RSM International.

© 2026 RSM CANADA LLP. All rights reserved.