Thoughtworks Global CIO Survey 2026: India's CIOs hold more influence over AI decisions, but accountability is outpacing control

India records the highest reliance on central IT for AI decision-making among 10 markets surveyed, even as CIOs face growing accountability for privacy and security outcomes they cannot fully influence

BENGALURU, India and CHICAGO, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- India's enterprise AI landscape is entering a new phase: technology leadership has a stronger grip on AI decision-making than in any other market surveyed, while Indian CIOs also report high visibility into independently adopted AI tools. Yet that visibility and influence do not necessarily translate into control over outcomes, as accountability for privacy and security increasingly extends beyond the boundaries of their authority.

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According to the Thoughtworks Global CIO Survey 2026, 32% of Indian CIOs say central IT or technology leadership has the greatest influence over AI decisions, the highest figure among the 10 markets surveyed. In enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, this rises sharply to 59%.

Yet greater influence has not translated into greater control over outcomes. 43% of Indian CIOs say they are personally accountable for data privacy breaches they cannot fully influence, while 42% say the same for security incidents involving AI systems. Among enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, accountability for data privacy breaches rises to 65%.

The findings reveal an emerging tension at the heart of India's enterprise AI adoption: the CIO may have more influence over AI decisions, but responsibility for what happens as AI spreads across the organisation is becoming broader than the CIO's actual authority.

The global study surveyed 3,200 CIOs across 10 markets and explores how technology leadership, governance, accountability and workforce structures are changing as AI moves from experimentation into everyday enterprise operations. The global findings show that 88% of CIOs believe AI adoption is happening faster than governance structures can adapt.

India's AI preparedness paradox
India's position becomes more striking when preparedness is considered alongside the pace of adoption.

98% of Indian CIOs describe their organisations as at least somewhat prepared to govern AI, including 61% who say they are very prepared. At the same time, 88% say AI adoption is happening faster than their governance structures can adapt.

This is not necessarily a contradiction. It suggests that Indian enterprises may have governance structures in place, but are being forced to continually adapt those structures as AI adoption spreads across more functions, workflows and decision-makers.

As the report notes, governance can no longer be treated as a purely central-IT exercise. AI decisions increasingly touch technology, finance, operations, risk, procurement, HR and business functions simultaneously.

Sunit Parekh, CTO, Thoughtworks India, said: "The next phase of AI will not be defined by who adopts it first, but by who can scale it responsibly across the enterprise. As AI decisions decentralise across business units, the solution isn't pulling control back into central IT or the CIO's office, but establishing shared governance, platform guardrails and workforce upskilling. The findings show Indian organisations are leading this charge, but to safely manage the growing accountability gap, they must ensure innovation scales securely alongside organisation-wide ownership."

The bigger the enterprise, the sharper the accountability gap
The data becomes particularly significant in India's larger enterprises.

While 59% of CIOs in organisations with more than 1,000 employees say central IT or technology leadership has the greatest influence over AI decisions, 65% say they are personally accountable for data privacy breaches they cannot fully influence.

This points to a structural challenge as enterprises scale: centralising technology leadership does not automatically centralise accountability, nor does it guarantee that the people held responsible have control over every AI system being deployed.

That distinction becomes increasingly important as AI adoption moves beyond controlled technology teams and into business functions.

AI governance is becoming an organisation-wide responsibility
India's survey responses also show that AI ownership is beginning to extend beyond traditional technology teams.

Indian organisations are placing greater emphasis on workforce capability than the global average. 32% plan to upskill technology staff in AI, data and automation over the next 12 months, compared with 24% globally. A further 25% plan to upskill the wider workforce, compared with 15% globally.

This matters because distributed AI adoption requires more than technical controls. Employees and business teams making decisions about AI also need to understand the organisational guardrails, responsibilities and risks attached to those decisions.

The global survey similarly finds that workforce redesign is becoming part of the CIO remit: 89% of CIOs globally agree that the CIO is now more responsible for redesigning workforce workflows and labour models than for managing core IT infrastructure.

From central control to shared accountability
The India findings point towards a shift in how enterprise AI governance needs to operate.

The answer is not necessarily to pull every AI decision back into the CIO's office. Instead, organisations will need to combine strong technology leadership with distributed ownership, clear decision rights, platform guardrails and workforce capability.

As AI becomes embedded across business functions, the question for Indian enterprises is therefore moving beyond "Who owns AI?" to a more consequential one:

"Who has the authority to make an AI decision, who bears the consequences and do those two responsibilities actually sit together?"

The Thoughtworks survey suggests that answering that question will be central to India's next phase of enterprise AI adoption.

Key findings: India

• Central IT leads AI decision-making: 32% of Indian CIOs say central IT or technology leadership has the greatest influence over AI decisions, the highest among the 10 markets surveyed. This rises to 59% in enterprises with more than 1,000 employees.
• Accountability without full control: 43% of Indian CIOs are personally accountable for data privacy breaches they cannot fully influence, while 42% say the same for AI-related security incidents. Privacy accountability rises to 65% in large enterprises.
• Preparedness paradox: 98% say their organisations are at least somewhat prepared to govern AI, including 61% who say very prepared, yet 88% say adoption is moving faster than governance can adapt.
• Technology workforce capability: 32% plan to upskill technology staff in AI, data and automation, versus 24% globally.
• Broader workforce capability: 25% plan to upskill the wider workforce, versus 15% globally.

About Thoughtworks
Thoughtworks is a global technology consultancy that integrates design, engineering and AI to drive digital innovation. We are over 10,000 people strong across 47 offices in 18 countries. For 30-plus years, we've delivered extraordinary impact together with our clients by helping them solve complex business problems with technology and culture as the differentiator.

Methodology

The research featured in this report was conducted by Censuswide, in partnership with Thoughtworks, among a sample of 3,200 CIOs across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Singapore. 

The data was collected between July 1 and July 10 2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC) and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. They adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

Media contact:
Michelle Surendran
Head of Public Relations for APAC and India
Email: [email protected]