4 of the top 5 enterprise risks in a Gartner report are AI risks

The research firm Gartner released its Quarterly Emerging Risk Report. 4 of the top 5 enterprise risks are about AI: strategy miscalculation (number 3, new), competitive displacement (number 4, new) and the workforce preparedness gap (number 5). AI discovery of cyber vulnerabilities and geopolitical energy supply shocks keep the top 2 positions, as in the last quarter.

The AI risks

• Strategy miscalculation: AI benefits come after a long time, fall short in scale or give less value than the first plan.
• Competitive displacement: companies that stay in pilots go to rivals as customers.
• Workforce gap: task requirements change at a higher speed than skills.

Gartner tells that pressure to keep up with rivals can make firms use resources before they know the result.

The numbers

• The ranking uses answers from 308 risk leaders, auditors and executives.
• 17% of heads of finance tell that more than 50% of their AI projects gave measured results.
• 64% of board members tell that firms must accept more technology risk.
• 43% of audit committees have a plan for an audit of AI strategy.

What is not known

The ranking is a composite of answers, not a count of losses. Gartner tells firms to name the owner of AI strategy, and to measure the value.

Insight: Spend runs ahead of results and is now a listed risk

In October 2026, Gartner told that only 13% of firms see large AI value, while 75% of CEOs have a plan to increase technology spend. This reads as one loop: pressure to keep up increases spend, results do not come as fast, and the difference becomes a listed risk. Leaders who cannot show value for each project can face the audit that 43% of committees plan.