HTEC, a global product engineering and AI transformation company, today released its "HTEC 2026 AI Value Realization Report." The report reveals a new challenge facing the industry: as companies move beyond the AI experimentation phase, the pace of investment has accelerated, exceeding many companies' ability to measure, govern, and consistently realize its value. "I've seen many technologies reshape businesses, but AI is different because it's increasingly about 'performing tasks,' not just providing information," said Lawrence Whittle, Chief Strategy Officer at HTEC. This independent study found that 79% of organizations increased their AI investments in the past year, with spending growing by an average of 31%. However, 77% of executives now believe that the value of AI is constrained more by people and processes than by technology. These findings indicate a significant shift in the focus of enterprise AI discussions. The question is gradually shifting from "can we deploy AI?" to "can we translate it into sustained and measurable business performance?" Alex Rumble, Chief Marketing Officer at HTEC, stated that the AI discussion has moved forward. The challenge is no longer simply acquiring AI or finding deployment scenarios, but demonstrating that investments are translating into meaningful business results. "The most striking point of this study is that the biggest obstacles are increasingly coming from the organizational level, rather than the technological level. Enterprises need to be as cautious about adoption, operating models, measurement, and governance as they are about technology itself."
