Sensedia, Squadra, and MIT Sloan Study Shows 74% of Companies Face Unexpected AI Costs and Governance Hurdles

A Sensedia, Squadra, and MIT Sloan study reveals 74% of companies face unexpected AI costs, making governance critical for scaling beyond experimentation.

MALVERN, PA, UNITED STATES, August 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A study conducted by Sensedia and Squadra, in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review Brazil, reveals that while 66.2% of executives identify AI as a top business priority, only 7.4% of organizations have broadly integrated it into core processes.

This gap highlights a critical shift: the main challenge is no longer experimenting with AI, but operationalizing it at scale. As a result, 74% of organizations face unexpected costs, technical redundancies, and compliance risks due to decentralized, loosely governed AI usage.

The global study combines survey data from APIX 2026, an event dedicated to the API and integration ecosystem promoted by Sensedia, enterprise leader interviews, and research from MIT Sloan, Bain & Company, Gartner, McKinsey, and Deloitte. Findings confirm that productivity gains do not automatically drive growth; sustainable differentiation depends on integrating AI directly into core enterprise architecture.

Scaling Depends on Data and Governance
Data infrastructure remains a major bottleneck. For 54.4% of technology professionals, corporate data access for AI applications is unstructured. Additionally, 41.4% operate without formal risk management processes, and only 4.8% of executives report having complete governance models backed by dedicated platforms. Looking ahead, 80% lack structured agentic architectures and 68% have yet to adopt Model Context Protocol (MCP) in production environments.

“Adopting AI is no longer the main challenge. As intelligent agents begin executing critical processes, the need grows for an architecture capable of connecting data, systems, and models under a single layer of governance,” said Kleber Bacili, co-founder and CEO of Sensedia. “Without this foundation, costs and operational risks increase.”

“Organizations have rushed to adopt AI, but adoption without proper architecture quickly creates a costly governance nightmare,” added Lisa Arthur, Sensedia’s SVP North America & APAC and Global Chief Marketing Officer. “To turn AI experimentation into sustainable value, leaders must shift focus from isolated adoption to integrated orchestration. Connecting AI models, APIs, and enterprise data under a transparent governance layer enables companies to scale safely, control costs, and drive true business outcomes.”

APIs as Corporate AI Infrastructure
APIs assume a strategic role as organizations move toward agentic ecosystems. They provide the necessary context, traceability, security, and governance layer required for autonomous agents to interact safely with systems.

“APIs become the layer connecting intelligence, processes, and decisions,” stated Marcilio Oliveira, co-founder of Sensedia. “In an agent-driven environment, they are essential for ensuring observability, cost control, and scalability.”

Leading organizations demonstrate the value of this approach:
Bradesco, one of the largest financial and banking groups in Brazil and Latin America: Deployed over 600 production AI applications, generating an estimated $48 million in annual value.

Inter, a Brazilian financial institution that operates as a “super app”: Leverages more than 500 models supporting critical credit, fraud, and personalization decisions.

MAPFRE, multinational insurance and financial services group: utilizes intelligent agents in customer service and claims journeys.
Hcor, a hospital and emergency center specializing in various medical fields, is advancing its data interoperability architecture and AI-based clinical support.

Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and leader/exporter of corrugated packaging paper, has adopted a multi-agent platform with centralized governance and unified control.

“Competitive advantage will not be determined by the number of AI models in operation, but by the ability to orchestrate agents, data, APIs, and systems within a secure, governed architecture,” concluded Bacili.
Read the full report.

About Sensedia: Sensedia is the independent backbone enterprises trust to connect and govern agents, APIs, and integrations across any stack. With deep roots in Brazil and a growing global presence in North and South America, Sensedia serves enterprises across financial services, telco, healthcare, and retail. Sensedia’s AI Gateway and AI Foundation Services extend its API management and integration expertise into the agentic era. Learn more at: sensedia.com

About Squadra: Squadra is one of the largest technology consultancies in Brazil, acting as a digital partner for brands such as Inter, Vale, VLI, Unimed, Claro, and MRV. It combines integral design, applied AI, and technical excellence in development, operations, and data to build modern, intelligent, and scalable digital platforms. It brings together more than 700 tech talents, operating across Brazil and on projects that cross borders. With its proprietary AI platform, Genius, it boosts results and accelerates digital journeys with real impact. Learn more at: squadra.com.br

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Sensedia INC
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