Across all regions, IDC researchers identified a misalignment in how much organizations trust AI versus how trustworthy the technology truly is. Per the study, while nearly 8 in 10 (78%) organizations claim to fully trust AI, only 40% have invested to make systems demonstrably trustworthy through AI governance, explainability and ethical safeguards. Among respondents' top three organizational priorities, only 2% selected developing an AI governance framework, and less than 10% reported developing a responsible AI policy. Researchers divided survey respondents into trustworthy AI leaders and trustworthy AI followers. Those same trustworthy AI leaders were 1.6 times more likely to report double or greater ROI on their AI projects.