Who Actually Controls Enterprise AI?
CIO Dive, Wednesday, October 7th, 2026
Thoughtworks survey of 3,200 CIOs finds no dominant AI ownership model, yet 94% of U.S. CIOs expect blame for AI failures.
A Thoughtworks survey of 3,200 CIOs worldwide, conducted in July, found no consensus on who owns enterprise AI, with central IT, executive leadership and dedicated AI roles holding the most influence after the CEO.
Although decision-making is split, 94% of U.S. CIOs said their team would be held responsible for security breaches or compliance failures caused by AI tools that other business units deploy.
Nearly all claim high visibility into AI use, but visibility is not accountability, so Thoughtworks CTO Thomas Squeo urges firms to make sure AI decision-makers have matching authority and information.