AI spending surges as governance risks grow
Global AI spending is set to reach $2.7 trillion in 2026, with investment in AI cybersecurity nearly doubling. At the same time, Gartner warns that governance and organizational readiness may struggle to keep pace with rapid adoption.
Worldwide AI spending will grow 49.5% year-over-year in 2026, according to Gartner’s latest forecast. Infrastructure will account for the largest share of spending, while cybersecurity is among the fastest-growing AI segments.
AI cybersecurity spending nearly doubles
Gartner forecasts AI cybersecurity spending of $51.3 billion in 2026, up from $25.9 billion in 2025. It expects the market to reach almost $86 billion in 2027.
AI cybersecurity spending is forecast to rise from $25.9 billion in 2025 to $51.3 billion in 2026, before reaching nearly $86 billion in 2027.
The figures point to growing investment in security as organizations expand their use of AI across infrastructure, software and services. AI infrastructure remains the largest area of spending. Gartner expects investment to rise from $981.9 billion in 2025 to about $1.48 trillion in 2026. It forecasts spending of almost $1.98 trillion in 2027.
The category includes AI-optimized cloud infrastructure, servers, network fabrics, processing semiconductors and devices. Hyperscalers and service providers continue to expand data center capacity to support anticipated AI workloads. “The buildout of AI data centre capacity is the largest infrastructure project humanity has even undertaken,” said John-David Lovelock, analyst at Gartner.
AI software spending is also forecast to increase sharply, from $288.2 billion in 2025 to $461.6 billion this year.
However, Gartner says rapid adoption also brings risks. These include vendor lock-in, data sovereignty and rising costs. So far, those concerns are not stopping organizations from adopting proprietary AI capabilities.
Governance becomes part of the AI equation
The rapid increase in spending comes as organizations face another challenge: governing the technology effectively.
In a separate Gartner analysis on AI and data governance, the research firm predicts that 60% of organizations that fail to address cultural challenges associated with data and analytics governance will fail to govern AI successfully by 2027.
By 2027, Gartner expects 60% of organizations that fail to address data governance culture challenges to also fail at governing AI successfully.
A Gartner survey of 223 data and analytics leaders found that cultural resistance was a greater obstacle to governance initiatives than funding constraints. Respondents cited the two factors at 60% and 40%, respectively. Gartner says organizations often focus on policies and technology while overlooking the organizational culture needed to make governance work at scale.
It recommends aligning governance with business outcomes and establishing shared accountability across business and technology teams. Organizations should also integrate data governance, AI literacy and change management into daily workflows.
The two Gartner forecasts highlight different sides of the same AI expansion. Investment in infrastructure, software and cybersecurity is rising rapidly. At the same time, data sovereignty, accountability and effective governance are becoming increasingly important parts of AI deployment.
