Four in five UK IT leaders say their organization has experienced unexpected or unplanned AI-related cost increases in the last 12 months, according to data from work management platform Asana. The survey highlights that many businesses are investing heavily in AI but cannot predict the true full breadth of costs, including deployment, governance, integration and scaling.
The Cost Reality of Moving from Pilot to Scale
82% of UK IT decision-makers (ITDMs) reported unplanned AI cost increases, indicating a widespread gap between budgeting expectations and actual expenses. Asana's data suggests that while companies are moving from pilot to scaled adoption, they are not accounting for the cost changes associated with broader deployment. The pressure to deliver ROI to the board is mounting, even as organizations struggle to prove it.
"The challenge now is turning that into measurable business value," said Christina Francis, Asana's UKI and Northern Europe Head.
Risky AI Outcomes and Lack of Context
53% of respondents said an AI tool or agent had taken action in the past year that landed them in hot water, including financial damage, legal issues or reputational harm. Additionally, 46% said AI projects often fail because they lack complete context — without access to workflows, internal knowledge and business processes. 37% of knowledge workers spend more than 30 minutes every day correcting AI outputs due to this lack of context.
Francis added, "AI is most powerful when it has context: the goals, decisions and workflows that sit around the work."
Key Survey Findings at a Glance
| Metric | Percentage |
|---|---|
| UK IT leaders facing unexpected AI cost increases | 82% |
| Organizations where AI tools caused risky outcomes (financial, legal, reputational) | 53% |
| AI projects failing due to lack of business context | 46% |
| Knowledge workers spending 30+ minutes/day correcting AI outputs | 37% |
| ITDMs highly or fully accountable for AI-driven business outcomes | 61% |
| Workers frequently using unauthorized AI | 25% |
| Workers regularly using personal AI accounts for work tasks | 38% |
The Shadow AI Problem
Asana also uncovered the extent of shadow — or unapproved — AI, which leaves companies paying for services not always being used. 25% of workers say they frequently used unauthorized AI, and 38% regularly use personal AI accounts for work-related tasks.
The report concludes that workers are prepared to accept faster ways of working but will find alternatives if approved tools aren't up to the task. For enterprise technology leaders, the best advice is to meet workers where they are and build a strategy around them to deliver the best ROI and cost savings. With 61% of ITDMs saying they are either highly or fully accountable for AI-driven business outcomes, the pressure to manage both costs and risks is acute — and the data makes clear that without proper context governance, AI adoption can become a liability rather than an asset.
Sources:
