While 86 percent of employees in India are using artificial intelligence in their organization, only 35 percent say AI’s return on investment (ROI) has met or exceeded expectations, according to the recently released ISACA 2026 AI Pulse Poll.

This annual, global poll examines trends in AI use, policies and standards, workforce impact, incident response readiness and security across the digital trust profession.

The report garnered responses from more than 3,400 global digital trust professionals hailing from IT audit, governance, cybersecurity, privacy and emerging technology roles, including 265 from India. The ISACA poll revealed that AI has become embedded in day-to-day work; however, governance and operational readiness continue to lag.

The poll highlights that increasingly more organizations are adopting AI policies in India than last year, and in comparison, to their global counterparts. Nearly half (49 percent) of organizations in India say they have a formal, comprehensive AI policy—up from 32 percent in 2025. This is compared to 38 percent globally this year. However, more progress is still needed, as 23 percent say they have a limited policy in place, and one-fifth (20 percent) have no active policy.

There also appears to be some uncertainty in India regarding the return on investment (ROI) from AI adoption, although sentiment remains more positive compared to global trends. Around 21 percent of respondents said it is still too early to determine AI’s ROI, while another 21 percent reported seeing only limited returns so far.

Additionally, 18 percent admitted they do not yet know the ROI of their AI investments. Despite these concerns, 35 percent of respondents in India said AI ROI has either met or exceeded their expectations, significantly higher than the global average of 22 percent.

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Keith Bloomfield-DeWeese, Senior Manager of AI Product Development at ISACA says, “There's enormous pressure on organizations to show that AI is paying off, but the pulse poll reveals a more honest picture: most organizations aren’t yet sure whether it has. That uncertainty isn’t a failure of AI, but a reflection of how hard it is to build something that actually works at scale. The thing with ROI in AI is that it doesn't arrive on schedule; it’s not a switch that can be flipped: it’s the result of sustained investment in the people, processes, and governance structures that make intelligent systems reliable. The organizations that resist the urge to declare victory too early are the ones most likely to get there.”

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The poll further highlighted that AI adoption is becoming deeply embedded across enterprises, with its use increasingly expected in day-to-day operations. Respondents in India said they primarily leverage AI to boost productivity, with 56 percent identifying it as a key benefit.

Close behind, 55 percent said they use AI to automate repetitive tasks, while 51 percent rely on it for creating written content.

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Additionally, 42 percent of respondents said AI helps them analyze large volumes of data more efficiently, underscoring its growing role in improving operational efficiency and decision-making across organizations.