Only 13% of CIOs report significant or transformational AI value, Gartner finds
IT•Gartner’s survey of 2,002 CIOs and technology executives found that 13% reported significant or transformational enterprise value from AI, while use-case success remained one in five. The survey was conducted from May to July 2026.
1. AI value and costs
Gartner’s survey found that only 13% of CIOs reported significant or transformational enterprise value from AI, while use-case success remained one in five. Pressure to deliver AI cost improvements increased for 58% of CIOs, and 51% expected AI to raise the total ownership costs of technology solutions.
2. Governance and staffing
Only 17% of CIOs had guidelines for abandoning low-value AI initiatives in production, and 31% had rules for stopping pilots from advancing. Despite expectations of AI-driven workforce reductions, 40% expected IT headcount growth in 2027; just 4% had explicit plans to redesign the workforce around humans and agents.
