The Multi-Billion Dollar AI Bet: Who Owns the Outcome?

Growing AI Investments Push Enterprises to Demand Accountability From Tech Vendors Rajeev Batra • March 6, 2026

Imagine paying a construction company to build an office tower, only to discover that the contract limits the builder's liability to a single month of rent if the structure fails. In most industries, such an arrangement would be considered absurd. In enterprise technology, it is standard practice.

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Companies spent over $300 billion on artificial intelligence last year, yet most initiatives produced little measurable value. As skepticism grows, a new debate is emerging around accountability in enterprise technology contracts and whether vendors should share responsibility for outcomes.

For decades, enterprise buyers have accepted a peculiar commercial structure: when technology fails to deliver, the vendor still gets paid. In the age of AI - and increasingly in cybersecurity - a growing number of firms are ...