CEO Outlook: How Can CEOs Turn AI Productivity Gains into Lasting Value? (EY)

Summary

• 36% of CEOs globally say higher output without increasing headcount or capital is the clearest evidence that productivity improvements create value.p.3
• 48% of CEOs say productivity gains are reinvested to support future growth, innovation or transformation.p.5
• 23% say productivity gains are largely absorbed by organizational complexity, regulation, risk or new work demands.p.5
• 50% rank adoption of AI-enabled tools among the top three contributors to productivity gains, ahead of process redesign at 46%.p.4
• Only 16% of CEOs have comprehensive, real-time visibility into AI costs and can assess ROI with great confidence, while 56% have reliable visibility into most costs.p.7
• 72% of CEOs believe skills shortages will become a greater barrier to growth than access to capital within three years.p.8

Key insights

1. 47% of CEOs say their organization is not developing skills quickly enough to keep pace with AI innovation.p.8
2. Four in five CEOs believe AI will have a greater effect on roles, skills and work organization than on workforce size over the next three years.p.8
3. Cost and asset optimization is cited by 41% globally among the top three productivity factors.p.4
4. Workforce reskilling is cited by 33% globally among the top three productivity factors.p.4
5. 15% of CEOs use productivity gains to fund workforce reskilling and capability building.p.5