Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026: AI Investment Soars, Returns Expected

Ninety-six percent of organizations plan to increase their AI investment in the next 12 months. This comes from the Lenovo CIO Playbook 2026, based on IDC research. What's interesting is that AI investment is now the top business priority for CIOs. It has moved beyond just improving productivity to focus on business reinvention and revenue growth. Average AI spending is expected to rise by 13 percent. The proportion of organizations piloting or systematically adopting AI has doubled, from 30 percent in 2024 to 60 percent in 2025. CIOs expect a significant return, with an average of $2.79 for every $1 invested in AI. Enterprises plan to allocate 28 percent of their AI spending to predictive AI, 26 percent to generative AI, 24 percent to interpretive AI, and 23 percent to agentic AI. The bottom line: AI is rapidly becoming central to business strategy, impacting various functions and promising substantial returns.