AI: The Expensive Hobby CEOs Can’t Quit
Artificial intelligence may not be saving companies yet—but it’s definitely draining their budgets in style. According to The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, most CEOs plan to keep tossing money into the AI pit through 2026, apparently under the “fake it till it automates” philosophy.
Spending money like it’s artificial too
Despite patchy results, enterprise AI budgets keep ballooning faster than a chatbot making small talk. Nobody wants to be the company that skipped AI and ended up looking like it still runs on fax machines. But here’s the catch—most of those flashy “AI initiatives” deliver tiny wins in random corners of the business, while the rest of the company waits for magic that never arrives.
Pilots that taxi but never take off
Every department now has an “AI pilot”—a few enthusiastic data scientists, a PowerPoint deck full of buzzwords, and zero coordination with anyone else. Moving from experiments to real operations is like trying to turn a Lego spaceship into an actual one. Teams hit walls with bad data, tangled systems, nervous lawyers, and IT people muttering “not on my servers.”
The cost of thinking machines
Then there’s the infrastructure bill. Training AI models burns through computing power, storage, and electricity like a bonfire of investor optimism. Cloud costs rise faster than executives can say “synergy,” forcing companies to ask hard questions: Should we build our own AI? Rent it? Or just pretend it’s strategic while quietly budgeting for therapy?
Governance grows up (and kills the mood)
As the bills pile up, boards and regulators want answers. Suddenly, all those “move fast and break things” managers have to fill out forms, attend AI council meetings, and prove their pet chatbot won’t accidentally email everyone’s salary spreadsheet. The vibe has shifted—from freewheeling innovation lab to supervised playtime.
Reality check: still worth it
Still, no one’s giving up. CEOs are just realizing that AI is more “diet plan” than “miracle cure”—it takes commitment, discipline, and a few awkward results before the payoff. The hype may be calming down, but the smarter players are getting practical: fewer projects, clearer goals, and maybe one less dramatic press release about “revolutionizing the industry.”
The 2026 motto: less FOMO, more ROI
In the next few years, the winners won’t be the ones spending the most—they’ll be the ones using AI like a grown-up: for smart automation, not PR stunts. In short, the age of AI experimentation is ending. The age of AI adult supervision has officially begun—and someone’s finally keeping receipts.
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