IDC MaturityScape Benchmark: AI-Fueled Organization in ANZ, 2026

AI has moved from the periphery of the technology agenda to the center of enterprise strategy, yet scaling AI remains challenging. Many organizations continue to struggle to translate investments into measurable business value, and the rapid rise of agentic AI is adding a new layer of complexity to deployments. The AI-fueled organization is one in which strategy, governance, people, and technology are orchestrated so that intelligence is embedded across the operating model rather than confined to isolated pilots, supporting the full spectrum of AI technologies, including descriptive, interpretive, predictive, generative, agentic, and physical AI.This IDC study presents the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) results from IDC's MaturityScape Benchmark AI Survey, released in May 2026 and spanning 1,900 organizations worldwide, of which 108 are based in ANZ. It is the updated edition of IDC's inaugural 2025 benchmark (IDC #US53271725, March 2025) and applies the framework set out in the 2026 definition report, IDC MaturityScape: AI-Fueled Organization 2.0 (IDC #US54450625, April 2026). The most significant change this year is the elevation of governance to a distinct fourth dimension alongside strategy, people, and technology, recognizing that trust, risk management, and responsible AI practices have become prerequisites for scaling AI. The benchmark assesses enterprise maturity across five stages and these four dimensions, intended to guide line-of-business (LOB) leaders, C-suite executives, and the IT and data organizations that enable the AI agenda, helping them locate where they stand against peers and prioritize the moves that most accelerate progress. Key findings in this benchmark study are:About 3.9% of organizations in ANZ have reached the most mature optimized stage, and 15.1% have progressed to the two most advanced stages (managed or optimized) overall, both above the worldwide averages of 3.1% and 12.8%. ANZ is one of the stronger-performing regions in the study, but becoming an AI-fueled organization remains a sustained journey rather than the product of a single deployment.Six out of 10 organizations in ANZ (60.5%) remain in the two least mature stages, ad hoc and opportunistic, close to the worldwide figure of 61.3%, underscoring that even in a comparatively advanced region, considerable foundational work in strategy, technology, and data still lies ahead before AI can deliver enterprise-wide value.ANZ's mean maturity score of 2.46 edges above the worldwide mean of 2.43 and sits well ahead of the wider Asia/Pacific average of 2.35, making ANZ one of the more mature regions in the study. The region's relative strength is concentrated in governance, where ANZ posts a mean of 2.58 and 21.5% of organizations reach the managed or optimized stages, the clearest signal that ANZ organizations have treated trust, risk, and responsible-AI practices as a foundation for scaling. The broader pattern still holds; however, the majority of organizations remain in the early stages, and the gap between AI's trajectory and most organizations' execution persists."Australia and New Zealand are among the more mature markets worldwide, with a particular strength in AI governance that gives the region a credible foundation to scale on. The challenge now is to convert that governance maturity into broader execution across strategy, talent, and technology, so that AI moves beyond pockets of excellence to enterprise-wide impact. Those that align business priorities with a coordinated AI road map will be the ones to turn experimentation into measurable business value," says Xiao Liu, research manager, AI-Fueled Business Strategies at IDC.