Fidelity: 2025 is not the year of artificial intelligence yet

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 03. 03. 12:09

The latest Fidelity Analyst Survey finds that AI will have only a minimal impact on corporate profitability in 2025, and its full potential will be years away. But big tech companies are still preparing the ground for a “brave new world.” The results show that the proportion of those who expect AI to have a positive impact on the profitability of the companies they monitor in the coming year has declined slightly compared to 12 months ago. The vast majority of analysts (72%) believe that no such impact will be seen this year.

Artificial intelligence is currently more of a buzzword than a profit-enhancing factor, but Fidelity still expects AI to have a modest positive impact on the profitability of the companies it monitors this year, largely driven by the automation of call centers and other customer service activities using technology.

When analysts give examples of how companies they monitor are currently using AI, most cite back-office and customer service activities. One equity analyst reported that all of his companies plan to replace HR workers with AI chatbots. But he said that this won’t significantly disrupt the balance of power, because the competition will also gain that advantage.

While most Fidelity analysts say at least some of the companies they study are already seeing some productivity gains from AI, the most common response was that it’s only a small fraction of companies.

Automation is already widely used in assembly plants, but artificial intelligence is not yet widely used, according to bond analysts who focus on the Asian auto industry. AI can be useful in the R&D phase to speed up product development, but it doesn’t seem to be widely used there yet.

The focus on automation suggests that advances in artificial intelligence have led some tech companies to turn to robotics, with automation being the primary use case for AI among companies.

Equity analysts covering North American grocery and convenience stores say companies are using AI primarily to optimize promotions and pricing. It’s worth noting, however, that there’s little evidence to suggest a significant change in efficiency so far.