Overview
- The 2026 benchmark reports 90% of organisations worldwide (86% in Europe) expanded privacy programs because of AI, with 93% planning additional data‑governance investment.
- Ninety‑nine percent say privacy spending delivers measurable returns, including faster AI delivery and greater customer confidence.
- Governance maturity trails adoption as many firms have AI oversight bodies but few are mature, and 60% struggle to access high‑quality, relevant data for training and deployment.
- Privacy teams are taking on operational roles across enterprises, from sourcing training data to overseeing AI use cases and coordinating governance as projects move into production.
- Rising localisation demands are adding cost and risk to cross‑border services, 83% support more harmonised data‑transfer rules, and many vendors still lack contractual clarity on data ownership and liability.