A new IBM Institute for Business Value study reveals that as AI moves from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, two-thirds of surveyed CIOs and CTOs report being held accountable for AI systems they do not fully control, while governance struggles to keep pace at scale.

The global study of 2,000 C-level technology executives (tech CxOs) finds that the lack of visibility is widespread. The majority of surveyed executives (70 per cent) say teams across the business are deploying technology faster than IT can track.  

At the same time, technology leaders face growing pressure to scale AI faster, even as many lack the structures to support it. By 2027, surveyed tech CxOs anticipate a 38 per cent increase in the number of AI agents deployed. While 80 per cent of respondents report CEO-driven AI transformation mandates, only 11 per cent believe they are fully ready for the scale of AI agent deployment expected in the next year. Governance is also falling behind, with 77 per cent of organisations surveyed reporting AI adoption is already outpacing current governance capabilities.

"For CIOs and CTOs, the challenge now is scaling AI systems that operate continuously and autonomously, often within governance models and architectures designed for a far slower, more predictable environment," said Matt Lyteson, CIO, IBM. "It is no longer just about deploying AI faster. It's redesigning how organisations control, govern and invest in it and embedding control and visibility from the start, so they can scale with confidence."