Sinch Study Finds 74% of Enterprises Rolled Back Live AI Customer Agents Due to Governance Failures

May 13, 2026
Sinch's new global report reveals that nearly three-quarters of enterprises have rolled back or shut down AI customer communication agents after deployment, with governance issues cited as the main cause. The study surveyed more than 2,500 decision makers across 10 countries.

Sinch announced in a press release findings from its global research report, *The AI Production Paradox*, showing that 74 percent of enterprises have rolled back or shut down an AI customer communications agent after deployment due to governance failures. That figure rises to 81 percent among organizations with mature governance frameworks.

The study surveyed 2,527 senior decision makers across 10 countries and six industries. It found that 62 percent of enterprises already have AI agents live in customer communications, but many encounter reliability and control issues after deployment. Despite these challenges, 98 percent of respondents plan to increase AI investment in 2026.

According to the report, enterprises invest more in trust, security, and compliance than in AI development, with 76 percent prioritizing governance measures over the 63 percent focused on building AI systems. The research also found that 84 percent of AI engineering teams spend at least half of their time maintaining safety infrastructure.

Sinch noted that communications infrastructure satisfaction was the strongest predictor of successful AI deployment. While 87 percent of respondents viewed high performance infrastructure as essential, more than half said their current provider falls short, and 86 percent are evaluating new communications providers.

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