CIOs Can Measure AI Spend. Proving Its Value Is the Hard Part
InformationWeek, Tuesday, August 4th, 2026
CIOs struggle to demonstrate ROI from AI investments despite rising token costs and board pressure.
While vendors now offer cost dashboards to track AI spending, boards increasingly demand proof of business value.
Gartner reports 83% of CEOs are increasing AI investment, yet 59% of initiatives never reach production.
Experts recommend establishing clear metrics before deployment, involving CFOs early, and measuring concrete outcomes such as time-to-market or customer satisfaction rather than token consumption.
Starting with two or three bold use cases and scaling proven value across the organization offers a disciplined path to justifying continued investment.