Dive Brief:
- AI capabilities are being offered by nearly all software providers in 2026, but almost half say they have low or limited customer adoption of those features, according to a report by Revenera, published Wednesday. The software monetization platform surveyed 415 leaders at software-producing firms in June and July.
- Many software providers are still waiting to see financial gains from offering AI capabilities in their products. Just over half say that offering AI is improving their profitability, but nearly one in five said they faced reduced profitability because of it.
- Although some AI providers are shifting pricing models, most report subscriptions are still profitable for them while remaining friendly to CIOs, Nicole Segerer, SVP and general manager of Revenera, told CIO Dive. “The customers don't want to deal with very bumpy pricing,” Segerer said. “They don't want to deal with a shock, where at the end of the month it's a lot higher than it should have been.”
Dive Insight:
Software companies that provide AI capabilities and the enterprises that use them are both seeking ROI for the technology, which rapidly evolves along with its pricing structure.
As some software providers shift their pricing models toward token use or outcome-based pricing, many CIOs have struggled to predict pricing and clearly link their AI spending to business outcomes.
While frontier models often receive attention in the conversation about changing price structures, most providers that enterprises interact with are taking a more measured approach to changing their pricing models, Segerer said.
Most employees are using AI features of existing software producers in their day-to-day work, and those enterprise vendors tend to keep CIO customers in mind, Segerer said.
Subscription-based pricing still leads revenue for 66% of the surveyed providers, the report found, with one-time perpetual pricing payment following in second place with 44% of companies reporting significant revenue. Newer models, including prepaid usage, postpaid usage and outcome-based pricing follow, according to the report.
Newly released AI models spread fears of a “SaaSpocalypse,” or a disruption of traditional SaaS application use and pricing earlier this year, but only 7% of software providers reported selling fewer software subscriptions because of AI, according to the report. However, nearly one-quarter say they anticipate widening adoption of AI agents will soon reduce demand for subscription seats.
It can take a while for tech leaders to understand how AI features are being used within their organizations, but customization of plans or offerings can become key to spending only on essential services.
“Many technology companies have rushed to implement AI capabilities, but as AI develops and changes quickly, some of those capabilities are not getting used enough,” Segerer said.
Even through often-changing pricing models, CIOs have some power during contract renewal processes to bring prices down, Segerer said.
“Understanding what exactly a consumption-based model is per vendor does take a little bit of work,” Segerer said, particularly when multiple vendors are involved.
“When I'm a CIO, that problem compounds to me because every vendor might have a different way of dealing with it,” she added.
