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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/09/2026
Mavis has launched Mavis Camera 8.2, the latest release of its professional camera app for the iPhone and iPad. This update brings support for iPhone 18 Pro and...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
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. 
