After a year in which trillions of dollars worth of AI investments buoyed global markets and the economy, 68% of CEOs plan to spend even more on AI in 2026, according to an annual survey of more than 350 public-company CEOs from advisory firm Teneo.
Less than half of current AI projects had generated more in returns than they had cost, respondents said. They reported the most success using AI in marketing and customer service and challenges using it in higher-risk areas such as security, legal and human resources.
I think it’s early yet. There will be ROI, but not on model training costs, just on token consumption. Who eats the model training cost?
Quote Citation: Ben Glickman, “Exclusive | CEOs to Keep Spending on AI, Despite Spotty Returns - WSJ”, 2025-12-14, https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ceos-to-keep-spending-on-ai-despite-spotty-returns-2eaeb6b9