---
title: "Organizational AI usage practices — Knowledge data 2026"
url: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/knowledge/data/ai-token
year: 2026
chapter: "knowledge"
question: "AIToken"
section: "AI adoption and cost"
licence: "ODbL 1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/)"
---

# Organizational AI usage practices

38% of orgs set AI spending limits; 18% have no formal governance.

Asked as: Which, if any, of the following has your organization done related to AI tool or model usage? Select all that apply. (`AIToken`, multi select, optional, v2026.1)

## Options offered

1. Set limits on who can use certain AI tools or models
2. Set limits on AI tool or model usage or spending
3. Reviewed internal usage or spending data for AI tools or models
4. Approved different AI tools or models for different types of work
5. Compared buying an AI tool with building something internally
6. Stopped using or reduced spending on other software tools while increasing investment in AI tools or models
7. Negotiated shorter commitments or the ability to switch AI tools or models over time
8. Increased spending on AI tools or models because results justified it
9. None of the above
10. Not sure

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 11,468

|  | Respondents | Percent |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Set limits on AI tool or model usage or spending | 4,367 | 38.1% |
| Reviewed internal usage or spending data for AI tools or models | 3,240 | 28.3% |
| Approved different AI tools or models for different types of work | 3,122 | 27.2% |
| Set limits on who can use certain AI tools or models | 2,901 | 25.3% |
| Increased spending on AI tools or models because results justified it | 2,366 | 20.6% |
| Not sure | 2,043 | 17.8% |
| None of the above | 2,030 | 17.7% |
| Compared buying an AI tool with building something internally | 1,290 | 11.2% |
| Stopped using or reduced spending on other software tools while increasing investment in AI tools or models | 992 | 8.7% |
| Negotiated shorter commitments or the ability to switch AI tools or models over time | 364 | 3.2% |

In context: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/knowledge/data.md