AI costs are hidden deeper than you think... From vendor contracts to division budgets

As AI adoption continues to spread rapidly and widely, many CIOs lack insight into how much their organizations are actually spending on AI. According to the ‘2026 AI Pulse Survey’ by consulting firm Protiviti, approximately two-thirds of companies responded that their employees have used AI without proper management and supervision. Additionally, nearly half of large companies do not fully understand which AI tools their employees are using.