LONDON, UK, 29 May 2024 A new study by the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value found that CEOs face workforce, culture, and governance challenges as they quickly implement and scale generative AI across their organisations.
The annual global study* of 3,000 CEOs from over 30 countries and 26 industries found that 63% of those surveyed in UK&I say succeeding with generative AI will depend more on people's adoption than the technology itself. However, 64% of respondents say they are pushing their organisation to adopt generative AI more quickly than some people are comfortable with.
The findings also revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of surveyed UK CEOs say their teams have the skills and knowledge to incorporate generative AI. Still, few understand how generative AI adoption impacts their organisation's workforce and culture. Just over half (51%) of respondents have not yet assessed the impact of generative AI on their employees. Yet, 58% of CEOs surveyed say they are hiring for generative AI roles that did not exist last year, while 46% expect to reduce or redeploy their workforce in the next 12 months because of generative AI.
Our report features six hard truths for the CEOs who recognise they cannot run the business of tomorrow with the skills, processes or mindsets of today, said Rahul Kalia, UK & Ireland Managing Partner, IBM Consulting. For technology to transform the business, first the business must evolve. Success with GenAI will depend more on employee engagement and a culture of innovation than the technology itself.
Other key study findings include:
Workforces are straining under the pressure of generative AI adoption
37% of CEOs surveyed plan to hire additional staff because of generative AI.
Yet half (50%) of respondents say they are already struggling to fill key technology roles.
CEOs say 35% of their workforce will require retraining and reskilling over the next three years up from just 6% in 2021.
CEOs recognise it takes a cultural shift to successfully scale AI, but face organisational collaboration and adoption challenges
60% of CEOs surveyed say their organisation's success is directly tied to the quality of collaboration between finance and technology, yet over half (56%) say competition among their C-Suite executives sometimes impedes collaboration.
Most (81%) CEO respondents say that inspiring their team with a common vision produces better outcomes. At the same time, 36% acknowledge that their employees don't fully understand how strategic decisions impact them.
60% of those surveyed acknowledge that cultural change is more important to becoming a data-driven organisation than overcoming technical challenges.
CEOs cite generative AI adoption as being critical to success, but over half (59%) of surveyed CEOs say their organisation must take advantage of technologies that are changing faster than people can adapt.
CEOs indicate the benefits of rapid technology adoption outweigh potential risks
Three quarters (75%) of CEOs surveyed agree that governance for generative AI must be established as solutions are designed, rather than after they are deployed.
Although 71% of UK CEOs surveyed say trusted AI is impossible without effective AI governance in their organisation, only 35% say they have good generative AI governance in place today.
At the same time, 64% of CEO respondents say they will take more risk than the competition to maintain a competitive edge, with over half (55%) agreeing that the risk of falling behind is driving them to invest in some technologies before they have a clear understanding of the value.
69% of surveyed CEOs say the productivity gains from automation are so great that they must accept significant risk to stay competitive.
While today 60% of surveyed CEOs are no further than generative AI piloting and experimentation, 58% expect to be driving growth and expansion by 2026.
Productivity or profitability is a top priority, but a focus on short-term targets might be hindering long-term progress
CEOs ranked Productivity or profitability as their highest priority for the next three years followed by product and service innovation.
44% of respondents say they are willing to sacrifice operational efficiency for greater innovation.
However, CEOs point to a focus on short-term performance as their top barrier to innovation.
Today, only 38% of UK CEOs surveyed are primarily funding their generative AI investments with net new IT spend, with the remaining 63% reducing other technology spend.
To view the full study, including actionable strategies to help organisations navigate the complexity of generative AI adoption, visit: IBV CEO Study: 6 Hard Truths CEOs Must Face
*Study Methodology
The IBM Institute for Business Value, in cooperation with Oxford Economics, conducted interviews with 3,000 CEOs from over 30 countries and 26 industries from December 2023 through April 2024 as part of the 29th edition of the IBM C-Suite Study series. These conversations focused on business priorities, leadership, technology, talent, partnering, regulation, industry disruption and enterprise transformation.
The IBM Institute for Business Value, IBM's thought leadership think tank, combines
global research and performance data with expertise from industry thinkers and leading academics to deliver insights that make business leaders smarter. For more world-class thought leadership, visit: www.ibm.com/ibv.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalise on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
08/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
08/01/2026
On Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify welcomed creators and press to a brunch cel...
08/01/2026
TSA awards Rohde & Schwarz contract for advanced airport screening ahead of Socc...
08/01/2026
The review looks back at DPA's miniature microphone development over the years. It compares the evolving technologies from the original mics through CORE an...
08/01/2026
Comscore Launches Audio Targeting and Measurement Capabilities with The Trade De...
08/01/2026
Tonight, on RT Prime Time at 9:35pm on RT One and RT Player
Tonight, Prime T...
08/01/2026
The Late Late Show celebrates the very best of traditional Irish music with its first-ever full special dedicated entirely to the tradition
Lisa Canny | Kevin...
08/01/2026
It will be murder on the dancefloor when Dancing with the Stars returns this S...
07/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
07/01/2026
We know people use Spotify not just to listen, but to share the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks they love with their friends and family. When we launched Messag...
07/01/2026
This week, all eyes are on the podcast industry as the Golden Globes recognizes ...
07/01/2026
Podcasts are stepping onto a new stage this week as the Golden Globes recognize the medium for the first time. To mark this milestone moment, we're hosting ...
06/01/2026
Spotify is launching a week-long celebration spotlighting creators at the center...
06/01/2026
Lorde. A$AP Rocky. JENNIE. Baby Keem. KATSEYE. That's just a taste of who...
06/01/2026
Channel 4 and UKTV are giving viewers even more reasons to stream, with UKTV's U service set to feature thousands of hours of free, unmissable and bingeable...
06/01/2026
Tuesday 6 January 2026
An update on our Sky Mobile prices
Devesh Raj, Chief Operating Officer, Sky
Today, we've announced some changes to the prices of ...
06/01/2026
Comscore Launches Daily Program-Level Reporting with Deduplicated Insights on Sh...
06/01/2026
Comscore Completes Recapitalization Transaction with Preferred Stockholders Foll...
05/01/2026
Bad Bunny's DeB TiRAR M S FOToS defined the sound of 2025 for listeners eve...
05/01/2026
As the clock struck midnight and 2026 was born, so was an exciting range of new ...
05/01/2026
These Sacred Vows starring Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'...
05/01/2026
DANDANCING WITH THE STARS RETURNS TO SHAKE UP SUNDAY NIGHTS
Reigning Rose of Tr...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
The Quantum 852 is situated in the 6,500-seat Seoul-based place of worship, a church which is home to a 1,000-person choir and a 50-piece orchestra. There are f...
01/01/2026
Formed in 2002, OneRepublic have enjoyed huge international success, with over 18 billion streams on Spotify alone. Their current tour, Escape to Europe, contin...
01/01/2026
We had been using the club's previous console for the last ten years, so we researched manufacturer information very carefully, says venue audio manager Mr...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Monday 22 December 2025
Sky extends PGA TOUR partnership until 2029, as Sky Spo...
22/12/2025
Siobh n McSweeney, Rory McIlroy, Elon Musk, Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin, Ivan Yates and Traitor Paudie Moloney lead new characters for Callan Kicks the Year 2...
22/12/2025
Winner announced in the picturesque surroundings of Wicklow's Avondale Tower and Treetop Walk
Andrew Trimble wins the show in his first series as coach
Th...
22/12/2025
The 2025 winners have been announced today, Sunday 21 December, for Ireland's largest choral competition Choirs for Christmas hosted by RT lyric fm.
Ove...
21/12/2025
John Shortt named Young Sportsperson of the Year Kerry are the Team of the Year
...
19/12/2025
With Playout Release 2025.4, ToolsOnAir continues to push professional playout w...
19/12/2025
19 Dec 2025
VEON's Mobilink Microfinance Bank Launches Islamic Banking Oper...
19/12/2025
The six-part drama, set in a close-knit Welsh town fractured by an unspeakable c...
19/12/2025
Rohde & Schwarz drives the future of mobility at CES 2026 At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rohde & Schwarz will present a powerful lineup o...
19/12/2025
RT is proud to return to the RDS to support the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist & T...
18/12/2025
Canada's largest indoor arena has transformed its live production capabilities with a full ST 2110 infrastructure and Calrec's compact Argo S console. S...
LONDON, UK, 29 May 2024 A new study by the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value found that CEOs face workforce, culture, and governance challenges as they quickly implement and scale generative AI across their organisations. 
