94% of IT leaders say data streaming increases or is expected to increase the impact of their AI investments

88% of U.S. mid-market enterprise IT leaders expect their organization to invest at least $100,000 in AI over the next 12 to 24 months.

56% of U.S. mid-market enterprise IT leaders expect their organization to invest at least $250,000 in AI over the next 12 to 24 months.

49% of U.S. mid-market enterprise IT leaders say internal efficiency and cost or time savings are the primary reason their organization is investing in AI.

96% of U.S. mid-market enterprise IT leaders are confident their organization will realize measurable ROI from AI within the next 24 months.

82% of IT leaders cite AI and machine learning technologies as a key priority

48% of organizations overall report measurable business benefits from data and AI investments.

97% of organizations classified as fully AI-ready report measurable business benefits from data and AI investments.

61% of organizations say the EU AI Act has already influenced AI investment strategies in the last 12 months.

62% are not strongly confident that AI investments have delivered measurable business value so far.

Currently, 9% of organizations dedicate at least 25% of their total cybersecurity budget to AI solutions; this share is expected to rise to 48% in two years.

64% of U.S.-based cybersecurity leaders report sufficient budget for AI.

71% of CIOs say it is likely their AI budget will be cut or frozen if targets aren’t met by the end of the first half of 2026.

Global AI spending is projected to reach $1.5 trillion, with hardware and infrastructure accounting for 59% of total investment.