Businesses are racing to adopt AI, yet a responsibility gap threatens to undermine this progress, according to a new survey of IT service and digital business leaders from NTT DATA.

More than 80% of executives surveyed in the global report acknowledge that leadership, governance, and workforce readiness are failing to keep pace with AI advancements – putting investment, security, and public trust at risk.

“The enthusiasm for AI is undeniable, but our findings show that innovation without responsibility is a risk multiplier,” said Abhijit Dubey, chief executive officer, NTT DATA, Inc. “Organizations need leadership-driven AI governance strategies to close this gap—before progress stalls and trust erodes.”

The Widening AI Responsibility Gap

When it comes to innovation versus responsibility, the C-suite is divided. One-third of executives believe responsibility matters more than innovation, while another third prioritises innovation over safety. The last third rates innovation and responsibility equally.

More than 80% of leaders say that unclear government regulations hinder AI investment and implementation, leading to delayed adoption, often stifling growth.

Security and ethics are also lagging behind AI ambitions. While the majority (89%) of C-suite leaders worry about AI security risks, only a quarter (24%) of CISOs believe their organisations have a strong framework to balance AI risk and value creation.

Compounding these issues is a lack of skills across the workforce. Around two thirds (67%) of executives say their workforce do not have the skills to work effectively with AI, while 72% admit they do not have an AI policy in place to guide responsible use.

Speaking to wider ethics concerns, three in four leaders say that AI ambitions are conflicting with their corporate sustainability goals, forcing organisations to rethink energy-intensive AI solutions.

NTT DATA made a number of suggestions for leaders to bring to their organisations to address this AI responsibility gap.

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This includes introducing responsible design principles, and as well as going beyond the legal requirements of AI governance to ensure AI is introduced in an ethical and systematic approach.

Organisations are also advised to upskill employees to work alongside AI and understand the tech’s risks, as well as work globally and collaboratively to action clear AI frameworks and standards.

“AI’s trajectory is clear—its impact will only grow. But without decisive leadership, we risk a future where innovation outpaces responsibility, creating security gaps, ethical blind spots, and missed opportunities,” Dubey said.

“The business community must act now. By embedding responsibility into AI’s foundation—through design, governance, workforce readiness, and ethical frameworks—we unlock AI’s full potential while ensuring it serves businesses, employees, and society at large equally.”