Most AI pilots don’t fail because a company picked the wrong model or platform.
They fail because no one built the capability to run it at scale.
This Gartner report looks at why CIOs who treat AI sourcing as a simple build-versus-buy call end up with tools they can’t govern, integrate, or sustain, and lays out how leading IT organizations are shifting toward capability-driven partnerships instead.
In the report, you’ll:
- Learn why sourcing AI as a technology purchase, without the operating model to support it, creates what Gartner calls “AI debt.”
- See the framework Gartner recommends for evaluating AI partners on governance, orchestration, and long-term flexibility, not just features.
- Get concrete guidance for gating sourcing decisions through an AI Center of Excellence and structuring contracts that scale.
Read the report to see how the sourcing decisions your team makes now will determine whether AI investments turn into durable capability or one more stalled pilot.
Gartner, How CIOs Build, Buy and Partner to Scale AI Capabilities, Stewart Buchanan, 28 April 2026. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
