Majority Of Executives Lack AI Savviness, Their CEOs Believe: Gartner Survey
Sixty-six percent of CEOs also said their business models are not fit for AI purposes.
A majority of CEOs believe that their executive teams, including chief information officers, are not savvy when it comes to artificial intelligence. According to a Gartner Inc. poll, only 44% of CIOs are considered “AI-savvy” by their CEOs.
Apart from CIOs, chief information security officers and chief data officers are also perceived by CEOs as lacking AI savviness. However, their concern about the technology savviness of the C-suite is nothing new. According to the 2019–2020 Gartner CEO poll, CEOs’ evaluations of their executives’ technological savvy—essential in the digital age—were not up to par.
The Gartner survey took inputs from 456 CEOs and other senior business executives worldwide and was conducted from June to November 2024.
Businesses Ill-Prepared For AI
According to the survey, 77% of CEOs think AI is bringing about a new age in business, but they also feel that the top tech specialists at their company do not have the skills and experience to support, drive, or accelerate business outcomes in this changing tech landscape.
Sixty-six percent of CEOs also said their business models are not fit for AI purposes.
According to Gartner experts, such a disproportionate gap in CEOs’ impressions about technological disruption hasn’t been seen before. The problem is that if C-suite savviness doesn’t rise quickly, competitiveness will decline and company survival will be in jeopardy.
Upskilling Is Critical
CEOs highlighted that the top two limiting factors impacting AI’s deployment and use are the inability to hire adequate numbers of skilled people and an inability to calculate value or outcomes.
With leaders recognising AI's potential and its impact on their organisations, it’s not just about hiring new talent but upskilling the existing workforce and equipping employees with skills needed to incorporate AI into everyday tasks.
