Scalehack: 80.1% of large manufacturers boost AI investment

Scalehack, a professional firm that supports business scale-up, conducted this internet survey in September 2026 through IDEATECH's research panel, targeting managers at large manufacturers who work on AI products meant for external paying customers. The results paint a picture of investment running ahead of commercialization. While 80.1% reported increased investment in customer-facing AI over the past one to two years—with 28.4% saying it rose significantly and 51.7% somewhat—only 21.0% felt revenue-growth prospects were fully in place, and 31.8% said they were not very or not at all in place. The survey also finds that 51.3% began concretely confirming customer needs, adoption intent, or willingness to pay only after starting prototyping or development, or have not done so yet. And 56.4% said their AI business originated from leveraging existing assets or research, which may help explain why technology leads and sales design follows. On physical AI, 71.6% believe Japanese manufacturers can win against overseas competitors, and the most-cited need for that is securing people to drive commercialization and market development (48.3%). Scalehack CEO Takenori Kurata said the company aims to support clients from business-strategy validation through sales execution to help turn technology into sustained business growth.