Chapter 5

About “The AI Production Paradox” research

The AI Production Paradox is a 2026 industry research report by Sinch, based on 2,527 enterprise decision-makers surveyed across 10 countries and 6 industries. All respondents hold Director, VP, or C-suite roles. All work at organizations with 1,000 or more employees. And every respondent is directly responsible for their organization's AI communications strategy.

This is not a general AI survey. Every question is specifically about how enterprises deploy AI in customer communications: messaging, voice, email, chat, WhatsApp, and other channels.

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Methodology

Sinch fielded this industry survey in January 2026. The survey consisted of 2,527 enterprise decision-makers from across six industries: financial services, healthcare, retail, telecommunications, technology, and professional services. 

All respondents hold Director, VP, or C-suite roles at organizations with 1,000 or more employees actively working on AI communications strategy. Organizations not deploying or planning to deploy AI in customer communications were screened out.

Business impact figures are self-reported organizational estimates, directional rather than audited. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. All other findings are based on reported organizational practices and attitudes at the time of survey. 

Respondents were recruited through an independent third-party panel and were not identified by vendor relationship. Sinch commissioned and sponsored this research but had no involvement in respondent recruitment and did not direct its findings, which reflect industry conditions across the enterprise market broadly.

Survey breakdown

CountryOrganization sizeIndustryJob roles
Australia: 10.5%
Brazil: 11.3%
Canada: 6.7%
France: 7.3%
Germany: 5.9%
India: 6.7%
Mexico: 9.9%
Singapore: 6.0%
United Kingdom: 9.8%
United States: 25.9%
1,000 to 4,999 employees: 68.3%
5,000+ employees: 31.7%
Financial Services (FinServ): 20.4% 
Healthcare: 18.7% 
Retail: 16.3% 
Telecommunications: 17.2% 
Technology: 16.6% 
Professional Services: 10.8% 
C-suite executive: 33.1% 
VP level executive: 27.4% 
Director/Manager: 39.5% 

Regional breakdowns

See what the AI Production Paradox looks like across regions:

North America

EMEA

APAC

LATAM