Press Release
India’s AI Boom Faces Reality Check as ROI and Governance Lag: ISACA Report
Growing AI momentum in India highlights urgent need for stronger governance framework, workforce training and risk oversight
Bengaluru, India (11 May 2026) – While 86 percent of employees in India are using artificial intelligence in their organization, only 35 percent say AI’s return on investment (ROI) has met or exceeded expectations, according to the recently released ISACA 2026 AI Pulse Poll. This annual, global poll examines trends in AI use, policies and standards, workforce impact, incident response readiness and security across the digital trust profession.
The report garnered responses from more than 3,400 global digital trust professionals hailing from IT audit, governance, cybersecurity, privacy and emerging technology roles, including 265 from India. The ISACA poll revealed that AI has become embedded in day-to-day work; however, governance and operational readiness continue to lag.
The poll highlights that increasingly more organizations are adopting AI policies in India than last year, and in comparison, to their global counterparts. Nearly half (49 percent) of organizations in India say they have a formal, comprehensive AI policy—up from 32 percent in 2025. This is compared to 38 percent globally this year. However, more progress is still needed, as 23 percent say they have a limited policy in place, and one-fifth (20 percent) have no active policy.
There also appears to be some uncertainty in India around the ROI for AI, though more express a positive view than those globally
- 21 percent say they believe it is too early to tell the ROI
- 21 percent cite limited ROI so far
- 18 percent say they do not know the ROI
- 35 percent indicate AI ROI has met or exceeded their expectations, compared to 22 percent globally
