BOSTON— Three years after ChatGPT’s debut, conversational artificial intelligence has moved from novelty to mainstream business infrastructure, with rapid adoption reshaping everything from consumer shopping to corporate finance, according to new research from PYMNTS Intelligence.
The report found that half of all Black Friday shoppers — including two-thirds of Gen Z — used conversational AI tools to assist with purchases. ChatGPT itself has grown to more than 800 million weekly users and is projected to surpass 220 million paid users by 2030.
OpenAI added one million paying business subscribers between February and June 2025, bringing its total to three million across enterprise, team and education tiers. ChatGPT Plus retains 71% of users after six months.
For financial services, long criticized for slow digital modernization, generative AI marks a turning point. PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster called the technology “the one that broke the adoption curve,” because it required no new hardware or system overhauls — consumers and employees simply began typing.
CFOs Positive on Technology
Ninety percent of CFOs now report very positive returns on generative AI investments, up from 27% in early 2024, signaling a shift from pilot projects to enterprise deployment, according to new PYMNTS data.
“A growing number of major companies — about 60 — have created Chief AI Officer roles to restructure operations around the technology,” according to PYMNTS.
“The research shows companies are leaning on AI for productivity gains, decision-making improvements and competitive positioning,” PYMNTS said. “But industry approaches diverge. Goods-sector firms emphasize output and efficiency, while service providers focus on decision support and customer experience. Tech firms prioritize maintaining competitive edge through customization and automation.”
Skills Gaps Identified
Despite momentum, executives cited skill gaps, cultural resistance and training challenges as key obstacles. Readiness varies: 75% of tech firms say they are prepared for AI-driven change, compared with 63% of goods producers and 48% of service firms.
According to PYMNTS, ROI also differs sharply by sector. Information-sector companies lead, with 65% reporting strong returns from advanced automation. Manufacturing firms use generative AI for diagnostics and predictive maintenance, while construction companies rely on it for fraud detection and innovation. Retailers widely deploy AI chatbots but report the lowest ROI, with only 17% seeing strong gains, the report found.
Where Adoption is Accelerating
PYMNTS said the study further found that across corporate finance, adoption is accelerating. Eighty-two percent of CFOs use or are exploring AI for accounts payable, and similar trends are emerging in cybersecurity, procurement and financial modeling.
PYMNTS said challenges persist — from uneven workforce readiness to model reliability and security risks — but organizations are increasingly building the governance needed to deploy AI with greater control and long-term discipline.
