Companies are accelerating their investments in artificial intelligence (AI), yet confidence in these technologies remains limited. Organizations are facing an increasingly visible paradox: AI is considered a strategic priority, while at the same time it is viewed with skepticism regarding its maturity and actual value, according to a study conducted by Horváth, an international management consulting company that has been present in the Romanian market for 20 years.
The study reveals that skepticism continues to dominate perceptions of AI:
- 66% of companies believe that AI is not yet sufficiently mature or functional;
- 70% of executives surveyed think AI solutions are overvalued and do not offer a fair price-to-value ratio;
- 73% of respondents believe that the growing use of AI tools such as ChatGPT is causing employees to lose their ability to think independently;
- 70% of those surveyed believe that a significant proportion of company managers struggle to understand new AI technologies.
These findings highlight a significant gap between technological promises and the actual experiences of organizations. According to Daniel Costache, Senior Project Manager at Horváth Romania:
“We are witnessing a clear paradox: companies are accelerating investments in AI under strategic pressure, yet confidence in these solutions remains limited. The perception of low maturity, combined with integration challenges and a lack of control over usage, points to an adoption process that is more reactive than strategic.”
Despite these reservations, 68% of respondents say that management’s appetite for AI investments is greater than for other technologies.
However, implementation remains challenging. As many as 69% of executives fear that AI is not compatible with existing systems, such as ERP platforms, while 62% lack clear visibility into the AI applications being used within their organizations.
These results suggest that many companies are adopting AI in a fragmented manner, without a unified strategy or clear governance framework.