The measurement challenge
According to a Gartner survey conducted between April and May 2026 among 203 chief executive officers and senior executives globally, 44% of CEOs say they have difficulty demonstrating to their stakeholders the financial return generated by artificial intelligence. The figure, reported by IT之家, does not, however, signal an abandonment of investment: the majority of respondents intend to continue and expand spending on technology.
Growth and technology at the heart of priorities
The survey, presented as a basis for the 2027 planning cycle, shows that 62% of CEOs place revenue and growth among their top strategic priorities, while 75% expect to increase technology investments. A further 80% say that technology is now an integral part of corporate strategy, to the point that technical decisions are central to deliberations on expansion, competitiveness and future direction.
Against this backdrop, the challenge of demonstrating economic return does not appear to translate into a brake, but into a demand for clearer tools and organizational models. This is the most significant point of the survey: the pressure is not on the amount of spending, but on justifying it before shareholders, boards of directors and investors.
Measures to achieve tangible results
To overcome skepticism, the CEOs surveyed point to several paths. 63% believe that by 2027 a profound reorganization of operating models will be the most effective lever for achieving tangible financial results from AI. 52% aim to deploy artificial intelligence agents as a workforce, while 47% consider major restructurings necessary to free up or redeploy capital.
The implicit message is that increasing individual productivity is not enough: without structural change in processes, the link between investment and return remains difficult to document. The percentages, however, measure stated intentions, not results already achieved.
Uncertainties and limitations of the study
The picture is made more complex by expectations of turbulence. 93% of CEOs expect a high or medium impact from economic instability on strategic objectives by 2027; 79% fear similar effects from ongoing conflicts and 77% from the industrialization of AI. Stated preparedness to face these scenarios is, however, markedly lower: 24%, 11% and 20%, respectively.
IT之家 notes that the sample includes just over 200 respondents and that the data reflect perceptions collected over a limited interval. It therefore remains to be seen whether the announced restructurings will actually produce measurable returns and whether the reported difficulties stem from measurement shortcomings or from results that are genuinely below expectations.
