Projects Fail to Deliver Results as CIOs Demand ROI, Security and Agentic AI Governance: IDC

Despite continued enterprise enthusiasm for AI, IDC says many projects aren’t translating interest into results. Around 45% of AI initiatives fail to deliver measurable outcomes, even as investment levels remain resilient. The pressure on buyers is shifting toward ROI proof, data readiness, security, and real-world deployment evidence. IDC’s 2026 Market Perspective notes that operational efficiency is the top priority for 63% of organizations, while 55% focus on technical performance—so product claims alone won’t satisfy CIOs. IDC also finds that buyers rank “AI roadmap” and extensibility with agentic AI as their top content need, followed by security and privacy information, then pricing transparency, ROI modeling tools, and guidance on data readiness.