U.S. companies are committing more of their IT budgets to artificial intelligence, while a West Monroe survey points to a mismatch between enterprise buyers and software sellers over how AI is purchased and priced.
West Monroe, a consulting firm, said 74% of buyer respondents allocated more than 10% of their IT budgets to AI in 2026, up from 23% in 2025. The company surveyed 300 U.S. executives online during the third quarter. Its 2025 survey included buyers only, while the 2026 survey also included software sellers. West Monroe did not say whether the surveys used comparable wording and respondent samples, limiting a direct year-to-year comparison.
The responses showed different expectations about how companies obtain AI. While 42% of buyers said their organizations primarily buy AI solutions rather than build them, 22% of sellers believed their customers primarily buy.
Buyers’ pricing choices also differed from sellers’ expectations. Enterprise subscriptions were selected by 33% of buyers and usage-based pricing by 24%. Meanwhile, 36% of sellers thought buyers preferred hybrid pricing that included an outcome-based component.
Productivity and AI assistants ranked among the near-term priorities for both groups, selected by 60% of buyers and 65% of sellers. Buyers also emphasized infrastructure, model consumption, platforms and talent. Sellers placed more emphasis on AI agents.
The findings put product value and pricing in focus for software providers as their customers weigh AI spending choices. Dhaval Moogimane, West Monroe’s senior partner and software industry lead, said, “AI is already a budget decision.”
West Monroe reported the survey’s total sample but did not say how many participants were buyers or sellers. The announcement also did not provide respondent breakdowns by industry or company size.
