Why Continuous Risk Building and AI Are the Growth Engines for 2025

Economic Uncertainty Meets Continuous Innovation

In 2025, despite low consumer confidence and pervasive economic uncertainty, McKinsey’s sixth annual global survey of 715 senior executives from 66 countries shows that firms that continuously build new risk ventures and harness AI are thriving.

Key Findings on Risk Building

Leaders who have launched new risk initiatives in the past five years report 13‑times higher prioritization of risk building compared with peers. Fifty‑eight percent of experienced firms rank risk building as a top‑five strategic priority, far outpacing newcomers.

Companies that have introduced three or more new risks in the last five years see those risks contribute over 10% of total revenue, while firms with only one new risk see a contribution of just 32%. The ROI for “continuous builders” is 1.9× per dollar invested, compared with 1.3× for single‑instance builds.

Digital Products Outperform Physical Goods

Risk ventures focused on digital products and services—such as software, mobile apps, and cloud platforms—generate the highest average revenues. In contrast, hardware or physical‑product risks lag behind. Nearly 90% of leaders acknowledge “idle gold mines” within existing assets, and 72% of high‑growth firms have leveraged these assets to incubate new risks, boosting overall revenue above industry averages.

AI Accelerates Breakeven and Reduces Capital Needs

In a capital‑constrained environment, firms are using AI to cut the breakeven investment from $125 million to $77 million, representing only 2% of core‑business annual revenue. Fifty‑three percent of risks achieve breakeven under $10 million, up from 35% in 2024.

AI also shortens the time to profitability: 81% of risks reach breakeven within three years, many within two. Asian and Latin American firms are especially fast, with 22% breaking even in the first year.

Examples include an eight‑person AI‑coded startup, Base44, sold for $80 million, and the AI‑enhanced go‑to‑market strategies that are becoming mainstream.

Talent, Culture, and Upskilling Are Critical

Success depends not only on ideas but also on culture and skills. Over two‑thirds of high‑performing risks cite a supportive culture that encourages experimentation, leading to 68% of risks exceeding expectations.

More than 50% of successful firms run upskilling programs that teach customers to discover and test hypotheses; firms without such programs succeed only 42% of the time. AI can assess skill gaps, design learning paths, and power generative AI, digital platforms, and scalable IT to ensure new risks align with core business.

Industry Outlook

Most sectors—technology, finance, high‑tech—favor data/AI‑driven risks, while energy and materials lean toward sustainability and consumer goods focus on physical products. Leaders expect AI‑enabled risks to contribute 19% of corporate revenue over the next five years, up from 12% historically.

Conclusion

In an economic “cold front,” ignoring continuous risk building is costly. Companies that combine AI with iterative risk creation can quickly monetize new opportunities, making AI + continuous building the next growth engine.