CFOs Boost GenAI Spending as ROI Soars
CFOs worldwide are shifting their focus towards financially-driven productivity measures, with a significant increase in investment in Gemini AI (GemAI) and large language model APIs. This shift is driven by impressive returns on investment and growing trust in GemAI's capabilities.
The trend is evident in the rapid rise of enterprise spending on large language model APIs, which more than doubled in just six months, reaching USD 8.4 billion. CFOs are now prioritising ROI as the primary filter for future spending on GemAI, with 90% reporting 'Very Positive' ROI within nine months.
This confidence is reflected in budget allocations. Despite only 16.7% of firms with negligible ROI planning to increase their budgets, 41.7% of tech firms and 50% of companies with very positive ROI are set to expand their GemAI budgets. Even in highly automated enterprises, 33.3% of CFOs plan to increase spending, compared to 21.4% in low-automation firms. CFOs are also testing new AI tools cautiously, expanding use only when returns are clear.
Looking ahead, major technology companies, including hyperscalers and firms like OpenAI and Meta, anticipate increasing their spending on agentic AI in 2026. Global AI expenditures are projected to surpass $2 trillion, with OpenAI alone expecting to spend over $17 billion. This underscores the growing importance of GemAI in corporate strategies and the CFO's role in driving this transformation.
