The dream of AI transforming enterprise productivity is taking a serious beating. A new report from employment biz Globalisation Partners (G-P) reveals that corporate executives are increasingly disillusioned with their AI investments—and apparently taking out that frustration on the humans around them.

The ROI Reality Check

Sixteen percent of companies saw negative returns from AI spending last year, and 73 percent of execs whose AI projects actually delivered results said those returns fell short of expectations. These findings come from a survey of 2,850 executives at VP level and above across the US, Germany, Singapore, Australia, and France, plus an additional 500 US HR professionals. Despite burning cash on brainboxes that aren't panning out, these same leaders are now pointing fingers at their workforce—88 percent expressed concern that employees are using AI performatively rather than adding real business value.

Trust Issues All Around

Confidence in AI systems remains remarkably low across the board. Only 23 percent of G-P respondents said they have total confidence in AI accuracy, which explains why 69 percent admit to spending more time monitoring and reviewing AI outputs than they likely expected when they greenlit these projects. Add in that 61 percent voiced concerns about using AI for sensitive documents due to doubts about legal accuracy, and you've got a perfect storm of expensive technology nobody fully trusts doing work nobody fully understands.

The Human Cost

Here's where it gets grim: 82 percent of surveyed executives admit that AI has lowered the value they place on human employees. Let that sink in—executives are watching their AI investments fail to deliver ROI while simultaneously deciding their flesh-and-blood workers matter less than ever. It's a neat trick, really. Blame the machines for budget shortfalls and use that same technology as cover for treating people as expendable. On the brighter side, only 12 percent strongly agreed that sacrificing employee privacy for AI monitoring is worth reaching business goals—small mercies in an otherwise bleak landscape.

The Irony of AI Skills Gaps

Despite all this hand-wringing about human value, roughly half of executives still cite the scarcity of employees with AI skills and lack of data literacy as barriers to their organizational goals. You can't simultaneously declare humans less valuable while begging for more humans who understand your failing tech stack. The cognitive dissonance is almost impressive—these are the same leaders pushing AI adoption while admitting they don't trust the outputs, can't measure real returns, and need people with expertise they're not willing to invest in.

Key Takeaways

  • 16% negative ROI on AI investments; 73% of successful projects still underdelivered expectations
  • Only 23% of executives have total confidence in AI accuracy despite heavy monitoring overhead
  • A stunning 82% admit AI lowered how much they value human employees
  • Yet half still cry shortage of AI talent—proving you can't automate your way out of workforce problems

The Bottom Line

The corporate AI hype machine is eating itself. Execs bet big on artificial intelligence, watched the returns evaporate, and now they're punishing the humans who were supposed to make these projects work in the first place. Meanwhile, those same leaders are begging for AI-skilled workers they clearly don't respect. If this is what leadership looks like in 2026, maybe the robots aren't the ones who should be running things.