Krux
April 8, 2026
Only 28% of IT AI Projects Meet ROI Expectations
Published: April 8, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Updated: April 8, 2026 at 12:39 AM
100-word summary
Gartner surveyed 782 infrastructure and operations leaders and found most AI investments are falling flat. Only 28% of AI projects fully succeed, while one in five fail outright. The autopsy reveals a pattern: 57% of failures stem from expecting too much too fast, while skills gaps and bad data each derailed 38%. The projects that work share one trait: they slot AI into tools people already use. A third of successful projects simply embedded AI into existing systems rather than building something new. Half of all wins happen in IT service management, where the problems are well-understood and the value is obvious. Turns out the fanciest model means nothing if...
What happened
Gartner surveyed 782 infrastructure and operations leaders and found most AI investments are falling flat. Only 28% of AI projects fully succeed, while one in five fail outright. The autopsy reveals a pattern: 57% of failures stem from expecting too much too fast, while skills gaps and bad data each derailed 38%.
Why it matters
The projects that work share one trait: they slot AI into tools people already use. A third of successful projects simply embedded AI into existing systems rather than building something new. Half of all wins happen in IT service management, where the problems are well-understood and the value is obvious. Turns out the fanciest model means nothing if nobody opens it.