Splunk: AI agent costs are rising, but enterprises struggle to prove ROI

At Splunk's .conf26 in Denver, executives said enterprises lack reliable ways to measure the return on their AI agent spending. Gartner forecasts worldwide AI spending will hit $2.7 trillion in 2026, up 49.5%, including $29.2 billion on agents and assistants. The top 1% of companies spend over $7,000 per employee per month, while the next 10% spend about $700.

• Gartner: 2026 AI spending to reach $2.7T, agents at $29.2B
• Top 1% of firms spend over $7,000 per employee monthly on AI
• Splunk launched Agent Observability and tokenomics for cost control
• Vendors use different token units and pricing, complicating spend tracking