Just one out of every five artificial intelligence (AI) or data and analytic (D&A) leaders are concerned that uncertain costs will limit AI value, Gartner, the business and technology insights company, has found.

This has led to only 44% of organisations adopting financial guardrails or AI FinOps practices, according to the firm’s new survey of 353 AI and D&A leaders.

“Where adoption rates for AI deployment have grown from just two out of five organisations in 2024, to four out of five organisations today, D&A leaders must achieve clarity and focus on ROI to better achieve the growing AI goals and ambitions of their organisations,” said Adam Ronthal, VP analyst at Gartner.

“D&A leaders must realise they are responsible for delivering real value in the midst of all this AI hype and fears of an AI bubble that might burst.”

“Getting to value is often measured using ROI, which D&A leaders need to think of as more than just a financial measure,” explained Georgia O’Callaghan, director analyst at Gartner. “

“There are three ways to approach value that will help D&A leaders steer their organisations safely and effectively through the turbulent AI value waters.”

Ronthal alongside Georgia O’Callaghan, director analyst at Gartner, advocated for businesses to:

1. Set AI Ambition

Gartner puts forward the thesis that increased acceleration and uncertainty — combined with concerns around trust and control — drive the need for continuous learning and adaptation.

“D&A leaders may be experimenting with AI and learning a lot, but that also means they risk falling behind because everyone is experimenting,” said Ronthal.

“D&A leaders should set their AI-ambition to help them maximise value from the insights their data provides, together with the knowledge and intuition of their team. This provides a return on intelligence.”

To set this level of ambition, Gartner suggests that D&A leaders must radically rethink the impact of AI on D&A, set a shared vision and determine their level of AI ambition, and manage the unpredictable and hidden costs of AI early.

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2. Strengthen AI Foundations

Without solid foundations, AI will be more akin to an expensive experiment than a powerful driver.

“Expecting AI or GenAI to compensate for delayed upgrades, siloed teams and years of technical debt is wishful thinking,” said O’Callaghan.

“D&A leaders must make sure their data is AI-ready, prevent exposing the wrong data to the wrong people and avoid inaccuracies, misunderstandings and hallucinations with a well-designed context layer. This provides a return on integrity.”

For a strong AI foundation and the reduction of risk, D&A leaders should align their foundational initiatives with their AI ambition level, make governance a value accelerator, and create a unified context layer, Gartner puts forward.

3. Empower People for AI Transformation

Though organisations change at a rapid speed, humans have a finite capacity to incorporate change. AI readiness, meanwhile, grows much faster than human readiness.

“D&A leaders must make the shift from thinking about roles to focusing on skills with respect to AI,” said Ronthal.

“D&A leaders will get value from their investments in developing their workforce. By focusing on skills, mindset, and behavioral change, they can unlock both individual and collective potential.

“This will increase employee engagement and productivity, making their organisation more adaptive to change. Ultimately, this provides a return on individuals.”

To ensure people are empowered for AI transformation, Gartner suggested that D&A leaders substantially budget for change management, prioritise mindset and skillset over toolset, and address employee concerns with a skills-development roadmap.