Trustworthy AI Practices Drive 15x Higher ROI, SAS-IDC Study Finds
CARY, N.C. – September 05, 2026 -- Organizations that embed trustworthy AI practices are 15 times more likely to report strong or high ROI from AI projects than those that don't, according to a new report from SAS with research insights by IDC.
Governance leaders report 62% strong ROI versus 4% for laggards
The second annual Data and AI Impact Report: The New Economics of Trust surveyed 2,699 decision-makers across 28 countries and four industries -- banking, insurance, life sciences and the public sector. Organizations with the strongest governance, data quality and auditability practices reported at least double the ROI of peers, while fewer than one in 20 'laggard' organizations achieved comparable results. AI leaders with trustworthy practices realize 1.85 times greater gains across 13 business outcomes, including revenue growth, cost savings and customer experience, and 85% of these leaders are increasing investment by more than 10% this year.