Rapid and widespread AI adoption has most CIOs blind to what AI is really costing their organizations. Nearly two-thirds of companies say employees have used AI without proper oversight, and almost half of large enterprises don’t have full insight into what AI tools employees are using, according to Protiviti’s 2026 AI Pulse Survey. Meanwhile, 77% of technology leaders say AI adoption is already outpacing their governance capabilities, per IBM’s 2026 Tech Leader Study. “Combine the breakneck pace at which companies are looking to embrace AI with the low technical barrier to entry for using AI, and you’ve got an incredibly challenging space to keep tabs on,” says Andrew Retrum, managing director and global technology risk and resilience practice lead at Protiviti.

Full report : Organizational AI spending can be found lurking in vendor renewals, usage-based pricing, and business unit budgets. Some CIOs have full visibility into AI costs. Most don’t.