Science & Tech · AI · 4 hrs ago
Businesses use AI to make decisions, but many still override it
AI agents are software that can carry out tasks and make decisions, rather than only answering questions.
A global survey of 2,699 business decision-makers found that 89% said these systems play some part in decisions at their organisations.
But just 66% said they trust AI that takes action, and 79% said employees overrule AI recommendations in more than one in ten cases.
The most common reason for an override was that the AI had not explained its decision well enough; others said it missed important context or raised concerns about bias and safety.
This matters because companies may rely on AI for complex tasks even when people cannot see how it reached a decision, and errors can build up across multiple steps.
The survey was published by SAS with support from IDC, and the article notes that SAS sells AI software.
Gartner expects more than 40% of agentic AI projects to be scrapped by the end of 2027, citing costs, unclear value and weak risk controls.
A global survey found that 89% of business decision-makers said AI agents play some part in decisions at their organisations.
The survey found that 79% said people at their organisation overrule AI recommendations in more than one in ten cases.
About two-thirds of respondents trust action-taking AI, compared with 76% who trust chatbot-style tools.
The most common reason for overruling AI was that it had not explained itself well enough, cited by 34.5% of respondents.
The survey was conducted by SAS with support from IDC and covered 2,699 business decision-makers in 28 countries.
- Who
- Business decision-makers at organisations using AI, and the companies making decisions with AI agents.
- What
- A survey found that AI agents are involved in many business decisions, but employees often overrule their recommendations.
- When
- The report was unveiled in September. The article was published on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- The survey covered 28 countries.
- Why
- Respondents most often overruled AI because it had not explained itself well enough; other reasons included missing context, bias and safety concerns.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
AI can be reliable, but not necessarily trustworthy.
The Data and AI Impact Report was unveiled.
Techpoint Africa published its report on the survey findings.
- Survey respondents
- 2,699 business decision-makers
- Countries surveyed
- 28
- AI agents involved in decisions
- 89% of respondents said they play some part
- AI recommendations overruled
- 79% said people overrule them in more than one in ten cases
- Reason for overruling
- 34.5% cited inadequate explanations
Sources
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