AI Spending Accelerates Despite Limited Returns, Survey Finds

Business and technology leaders are ramping up investments in AI—even as initial outcomes fail to meet expectations—according to a new report from Coastal, a leading Salesforce and AI consultancy.

The report, based on a survey of over 120 senior business and technology leaders from Salesforce-powered organizations, highlights current approaches to AI, data readiness, and governance across industries.

Key Findings

  • 67% of organizations plan to maintain or increase AI spending, but only 21% report proven outcomes
  • 43% expect governance, ethics, and risk to be their biggest AI challenges in the next two years
  • 64% admit they lack a clear AI roadmap with measurable goals

These findings suggest that although companies are eager to embrace AI, many are not yet prepared to fully capitalize on its potential. The report, titled AI Isn’t Delivering—Here’s What To Do About It, identifies common pitfalls in AI adoption and outlines structural strategies to drive return on AI (ROAI).

“Salesforce is innovating at record speed, and its AI products like Agentforce are game-changing,” said Eric Berridge, CEO of Coastal. “But from our front-row seat in this AI era, we know businesses must focus on getting the foundation right if they want to achieve real AI impact. That means modern infrastructure, redesigned processes, and clear links between initiatives and measurable outcomes.”

Pathways to Success in the Data & AI Modernization Era

As businesses move beyond digital transformation into the era of data and AI modernization, the report recommends:

  • Modernizing infrastructure to support AI capabilities
  • Building unified platforms for seamless data movement, modeling, and activation across clouds
  • Structuring and measuring AI initiatives with direct ties to business value
  • Redesigning workflows to unlock the benefits of agentic automation

“Companies with a clear data and AI roadmap are 2.7x more likely to see positive ROI—yet shockingly, 64% don’t have one,” added Berridge. “That’s the work we help our customers tackle every day.”

To explore the full findings and recommendations, access the complete report here.

The survey data originates from Coastal’s Future Readiness Survey, conducted by BlueWhale Research in early 2025, involving senior leaders at Salesforce-using organizations. For more on the survey methodology, click here.

Salesforce, Data Cloud, and Agentforce are trademarks of Salesforce, Inc.