Just 44% of CIOs Viewed as AI-Savvy by CEOs, Gartner says

AI is reshaping the strategic landscape of businesses worldwide.

However, a crucial gap has emerged at the executive level, as highlighted in a Gartner report.

This report reveals a significant mismatch: a whopping 77% of CEOs acknowledge AI's influence on business, yet only 44% of these leaders have confidence in their CIOs' AI acumen.

The critical question remains: why do CEOs question the readiness of their CIOs to lead in the AI domain?

AI readiness and leadership gaps

The perception of inadequacy in AI expertise spans across executive roles, affecting most C-suite positions.

Gartner's survey, involving 456 CEOs and senior executives worldwide, underscores the pressing need for robust AI strategising.

CEOs largely view AI as a profound pivot, fundamentally altering business and societal operations. 

Yet, self-assessments by two-thirds of these leaders indicate that their business models are ill-prepared for AI's integration, and many doubt their teams' capacity to leverage AI's transformative possibilities.

This issue isn't novel. Gartner notes a historical dissatisfaction among CEOs with their executives' digital proficiency even before the current AI uptick.

As AI becomes pervasive across industries, this gap is becoming more pronounced.

“CEOs have shifted their view of AI from just a tool to a transformative way of working,” says Jennifer Carter, Principal Analyst at Gartner. 

“This change has highlighted the importance of upskilling. As leaders recognise AI’s potential and its impact on their organisations, they understand that success isn’t just about hiring new talent. 

“Instead, it’s about equipping their current employees with the skills needed to seamlessly incorporate AI into everyday tasks.”

Challenges in deploying AI

Deployment of AI solution faces notable barriers, primarily around quantifying value and talent availability.

Despite substantial investment in AI technologies, many organisations struggle to measure returns, with few reporting significant revenue enhancement.

This uncertainty, coupled with an insufficient pool of AI-proficient personnel, threatens to hinder progress and affect competitiveness.

This makes upskilling imperative.

Notably, the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report indicates that 77% of organisations see reskilling as critical in navigating AI-induced changes. For software engineers, Gartner forecasts that 80% will require upskilling by 2027 as generative AI reshapes workflows.

“While AI will transform the future role of software engineers, human expertise and creativity will always be essential for delivering complex, innovative software,” says Philip Walsh, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Software Engineering Practice.

Fostering a learning culture for AI

For upskilling to be effective, it must be approached diligently with a clear plan, not just sporadic training.

PwC says that “cultivating specific mindsets will be key to success”, adding that “understanding your unique mindsets — and those of your workforce — can help you accelerate the adoption of AI tools, stay open to growth, and sustain new AI-enabled ways of working”.

The firm's Global Investor Survey reveals that 61% of investors place a high value on rapid AI adoption. 

Nevertheless, more than 20% of workers doubt AI’s impact on their roles in the imminent future, expressing ambivalence toward its disruptive potential.

Pursuing this, PwC suggests that as businesses increasingly integrate AI, “leaders have an opportunity to drive the conversation and help employees adapt to an AI era”.

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