MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 79% of senior U.S. technology leaders say they feel pressure to overstate AI progress to satisfy executive or stakeholder expectations, according to a new survey released today by BairesDev®, a leading nearshore software development company. 47% of respondents say that pressure originates directly from the C-suite or board.
The AI Execution Gap, which surveyed 501 technology decision-makers at companies with active AI initiatives, also finds that 88% of respondents had at least one AI initiative significantly disrupted by a shift in executive priorities in the last 12 months. More than half (54%) report at least one initiative that reached production significantly behind schedule, while 34% say at least one project was reduced in scope before it could ship.
“Most organizations are not failing at AI because they lack ambition or investment. The pressure to show results before the foundations are ready is real, and it comes from the top,” said Nacho De Marco, CEO and founder of BairesDev. “What our data shows is that the companies consistently delivering are the ones that resisted that pressure long enough to get the infrastructure right. That’s a leadership decision.”
The top barriers to successful AI delivery are security, data privacy and regulatory compliance concerns, cited by 51% of respondents. Data readiness and quality issues follow at 46% and legacy system and integration complexity at 43%. Talent shortages rank fourth at 32%, behind all three infrastructure and governance factors.
The findings arrive as enterprise AI spending accelerates sharply. According to a January 2026 Gartner® forecast, worldwide AI spending is projected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, a 44% increase year-over-year. BairesDev’s data suggests that for many organizations, execution readiness has not kept pace with that investment. 83% of respondents plan to increase AI spending over the next 12 months, even as delivery timelines slip and projects are scaled back.
66% of leaders report that their most recently completed AI initiative took four months or more to move from pilot to production, with 27% needing 7-12 months and 9% requiring more than 13. On-time delivery and delayed delivery frequently coexist within the same organization: 73% of respondents report moving at least one initiative to production on schedule in the last 12 months, while 54% also report at least one that arrived significantly behind.
“The execution gap shows up when teams are asked to deliver production-ready AI without the data, governance, security and integration foundations to support it,” said Justice Erolin, CTO of BairesDev. “That’s why we built an AI Maturity Model. It acts as a framework that helps clients understand where they stand across five key pillars and where the next investment actually needs to go. Closing the gap starts with knowing where you are.”
About the Survey
The AI Execution Gap survey was conducted by Centiment for BairesDev in April 2026, based on 501 completed responses. Respondents were U.S.-based software development or engineering professionals with 4+ years of experience, director-level or above, with decision-making authority over AI initiatives.
About BairesDev
BairesDev provides nearshore software development services to some of the world’s largest and most respected companies, like Abbott, Adobe, Coca-Cola, eBay, Google, HP, and Rolls-Royce. Backed by 4,000+ engineers across LATAM, BairesDev has delivered high-quality software in over 130 industries.
Join BairesDev’s team by applying to https://jobs.bairesdev.com/. Or recommend a candidate in the Talent Referral Program https://applicants.bairesdev.com/external-referral
Media Contact: press@bairesdev.com
