Ask Google “How many companies depend on AI in 2025?” and the answer comes swiftly. As recently as May 2024, Google enhanced its search experience with the deployment of an ‘AI Overview’ provided by their AI assistant, Gemini. This feature simplifies the search process by offering ‘zero-click’ answers, a significant shift from queries that typically yielded a plethora of different links just 12 months prior. This embodies a fundamental AI ethos—delivering answers as promptly and effortlessly as possible.
According to Gemini, approximately 78% of companies surveyed by management consultancy McKinsey & Company currently utilize AI. Additionally, McKinsey reports that 92% of these firms plan to amplify their investment in AI over the next three years, with the UN Trade and Development forecasting AI’s market value to soar to $4.8 trillion by 2033.
AI technology is increasingly prevalent across businesses of various sizes. StartupBlink noted that AI powers 6.2% of all global startups. Meanwhile, industry giant OpenAI has secured a $200 million contract to develop AI solutions for the US Department of Defense.
Google has continually updated its AI offerings, with its latest, Gemini 2.5 Pro, capable of generating images from simple prompts during conversations. Alphabet’s subsidiary, DeepMind, can predict the trajectory and intensity of hurricanes up to 15 days in advance. Furthermore, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Projects feature supports long-term research initiatives, acting as an AI team member within organizations.
**Mirroring the early days of mobile**
In the gambling industry, Ashley-Christian Hardy, CPO at Yolo Entertainment, underscores the significance of AI, likening its adoption to the early days of mobile technology. Hardy claims AI is poised to revolutionize the industry much like mobile technology did, advocating for the embrace and effective usage of AI to avoid falling behind competitively.
AI’s impact is palpable across various business operations within the gambling sector, with a healthy balance between companies boasting proprietary AI models and those partnering with specialized AI providers. Initial agreements and endeavors mainly focused on enhancing and automating internal functions or customer support through chatbots.
In May, ComeOn Group celebrated a milestone partnership with a supplier aimed at refining their customer service through AI, providing enhancements like intelligent routing, real-time agent insights, and automated workflows.
By June, FDJ United divulged plans to deploy AI agents across all corporate functions, such as HR, legal, and finance. The process is supported by the addition of over 300 AI and data specialists. FDJ United has invested €25 million in AI startups, aiming to have all employees proficient in AI by the end of 2026. Sébastien Rozanes, FDJ United’s chief digital, data, and AI officer, described this as a strategic move to boost productivity and prioritize high-value tasks through the creation of the ‘FDJ United Agent Store.’
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, DraftKings’ co-founder and CEO Jason Robins emphasized the adoption of an ‘AI-first mindset.’ Initially focused on revamping customer support, Robins noted the broad applicative potential of AI across all departments, enhancing efficiency. He also highlighted a significant shift in operational thinking from adding more personnel to leveraging AI capabilities, though this raises concerns about potential impacts on employment.
The ongoing integration of AI into various business sectors underscores its ever-growing influence and the crucial need for businesses to adapt and innovate with these technologies at their core.