The 2027 CIO and Technology Executive Agenda is here 🔥 GenAI leads the way with an 84% increase in funding, while cyber/information security and agentic AI remain top investment priorities despite ongoing budget pressures. Learn what technology executives are prioritizing in 2027 and how leading organizations are turning AI ambition into measurable business outcomes: https://gtnr.it/4yqafkf #GartnerSYM
These headlines about increased funding for GenAI feels like the stock market with a lot of decisions being made due to FOMO. It's like cloud 10.0. I am all about enabling my customers to use AI, but there needs to be a bona fide reason other than fear.
With funding for agentic AI rising this fast, how many of those agents will end up answering questions about a machine whose digital twin hasn't been touched since installation day? What it's built from, what has changed and when, that history is what makes an answer worth trusting, and it needs a share of the budget too.
It comes as no great surprise that Generative AI (GenAI) sits at the top of the investment agenda for CIOs, according to 84% of those surveyed by Gartner for this research. What is notable, however, is that Cyber/Information Security follows closely at 83%—even in the face of other emerging trends that are currently capturing the markets attention. It is clear that CIOs fully grasp the importance of securing the entire enterprise environment, including those areas shaped by these new trends.
The real test for CIOs in 2027 will be proving AI ROI while managing cybersecurity risks, legacy systems, and rising operational costs. More AI investment must translate into measurable business outcomes.
Worthwhile analysis, no doubt. But not for a simple and deterministic forecast but more as a strategic thinking-trigger. If at least 50% of AI projects are being abandoned after proof of concept, could one of the underlying issues be that companies are investing in AI faster than they are building the data foundations, governance, and operating models needed to scale it successfully? Cybersecurity is a must. And what about ERP and CRM? Are we witnessing a shift in how these core enterprise platforms create value, rather than a decline in their strategic relevance? AI may increasingly become the intelligence layer that transforms how companies use their data, run operations, and drive revenue growth. The real question may not be how much companies invest in AI, but whether they are investing in the foundations that turn AI into measurable business outcomes. Just a thought...
GenAI leading the list is no surprise, but I'd read it next to the cloud platforms and data rows right behind it. In the migrations I've worked on, the AI budget is the easy yes and the groundwork, like permissions cleanup and clear ownership, gets squeezed. Does the agenda say who is expected to own that part?
“You don’t need massive budgets and resources to get more value from AI investments,” says Alicia Mullery, VP Analyst at Gartner. “You need new mechanisms for managing AI costs and strong governance fundamentals like establishing criteria for when to stop and redirect resources from low-value AI initiatives.”