AI Spending Spree Leaves Companies Scrambling to Find Returns, EY Warns

Businesses are pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence systems without concrete evidence that investments are delivering revenue gains or cost savings, according to EY's Global Consulting AI Leader Dan Diasio, who spoke with The Information about widespread gaps between AI expenditure and measurable business impact. While worldwide AI spending reached $2.59 trillion in 2026, only 5 to 8 percent of enterprises report seeing genuine, scaled returns on their investments, Diasio noted, highlighting a fundamental accountability crisis in corporate AI adoption. Companies are continuing to increase budgets despite uncertainty—27 percent now dedicate a quarter or more of total IT spending to AI, a figure expected to double to 52 percent next year—but finance teams are growing increasingly skeptical about where that money is going.