IBM Study: CEOs are Reshaping C-suite Roles for the AI Era
IBM (NYSE: IBM) released a global CEO study (2,000 CEOs) on May 4, 2026 showing rapid C-suite redesign for an AI-first operating model.
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Rhea-AI Summary
IBM (NYSE: IBM) released a global CEO study (2,000 CEOs) on May 4, 2026 showing rapid C-suite redesign for an AI-first operating model. Key metrics: 76% of organizations now have a Chief AI Officer (up from 26%), organizations with AI-first C-suite scaled 10% more AI initiatives, and 64% of CEOs are comfortable using AI in major strategic decisions.
The study notes rising C-suite influence (CHRO +59% expectation), planned workforce reskilling (29%) and that by 2030 CEOs expect 48% of operational decisions to be made by AI where guardrails apply.
Positive
- Chief AI Officer adoption at 76% of organizations in 2026 (from 26% in 2025)
- Organizations with an AI-first C-suite scaled 10% more AI initiatives enterprise-wide
- 64% of CEOs comfortable using AI to inform major strategic decisions
- 83% of respondents say AI sovereignty is essential to strategy
- By 2030, CEOs expect 48% of codifiable operational decisions to be made by AI
Negative
- Only 25% of the workforce currently uses AI regularly as part of their job
- 29% of employees are expected to require reskilling for different roles (2026–2028)
- Decentralizing decision-making increases need for robust governance and controls
Details
News Market Reaction – IBM
On May 4, the day this news came out, IBM closed 1.17% below the previous close.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the May 4 session.
Key Figures
- Organizations with CAIO 2026
- 76%
- Surveyed organizations reporting a Chief AI Officer role in 2026
- Organizations with CAIO 2025
- 26%
- Surveyed organizations reporting a Chief AI Officer role in 2025
- AI-first C-suite scaling
- 10% more initiatives
- Advantage in AI initiatives for AI-first C-suite design vs peers
- CEOs using AI input
- 64%
- Surveyed CEOs comfortable making major decisions with AI-generated input
- Workforce regularly using AI
- 25%
- Share of workforce regularly using AI despite perceived skills
- Employees needing reskilling
- 29%
- Expected share needing reskilling for different roles (2026–2028)
- Employees needing upskilling
- 53%
- Expected share needing upskilling for current roles (2026–2028)
- CEO survey size
- 2,000 CEOs
- Global IBM Institute for Business Value CEO study sample
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24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
chief ai officer technical
ai sovereignty technical
reskilling technical
upskilling technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
76% of surveyed organizations now have a Chief AI Officer, up from26% a year ago59% of CEO respondents say the CHRO's influence will increase over the next few years- Nearly two-thirds of surveyed CEOs are comfortable using AI to help inform major strategic decisions
In the foreword of the study, IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn writes, "The CEO's role has always been to lead through disruption. What AI changes is the velocity and consequences of leadership. Enterprises that succeed will operate AI-first – not as a layer of technology, but as a new operating model. Decision cycles will compress. Boundaries between functions will dissolve. Advantage will accrue to those who can learn, adapt, and execute faster than their competitors."
The annual IBM CEO study,* which surveyed 2,000 CEOs globally, shows that as AI becomes more pervasive in the enterprise, CEOs are under growing pressure to rethink how leadership teams operate, how decisions get made and how organizations are structured.
Among the key findings:
76% of surveyed organizations have a Chief AI Officer (CAIO) in 2026, up from just26% in 2025.- Analysis shows that organizations with an AI-first approach to C-suite design have scaled
10% more AI initiatives enterprise-wide than their peers. 64% of surveyed CEOs say they are comfortable making major strategic decisions based on AI-generated input.83% of respondents agree that AI sovereignty is essential to business strategy, underscoring the importance of having the right controls as AI plays a larger enterprise-wide role.- Surveyed CEOs say only
25% of the workforce is using AI regularly as part of their job, despite86% believing their employees have the skills to collaborate with AI.
"AI is changing how work gets done, bringing people and software together in new ways, and it's changing how people come together in the workplace," said Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting. "The CEOs delivering real results from AI transformation aren't just deploying AI faster, they're redesigning their organizations to bring together the best people with the best technology."
New challenges demand different kinds of leadership
85% of respondents say all functional leaders must become technology experts in their domain, signaling that AI accountability is expanding beyond specialized roles.- Among organizations with a CAIO, all surveyed CEOs expect the influence of the role to increase by 2030, alongside rising influence across every member of the C-suite.
59% of surveyed CEOs say the CHRO's influence will increase over the next few years.
As CEOs turn to AI-driven decisions, governance and controls become more critical
- By 2030, surveyed CEOs expect
48% of operational decisions where consistency and guardrails can be codified will be made by AI without human intervention, compared to25% today. 79% of executives surveyed confirm they are decentralizing decision-making, distributing accountability as AI plays a more significant role enterprise wide.
Organizations are betting on people to drive AI success
83% of CEOs surveyed say AI success depends more on people's adoption than technology.- Between 2026 and 2028, respondents expect
29% of employees to require reskilling for a different role and53% to need upskilling to perform their current role more effectively. - Surveyed organizations that redesigned five core business areas -- technology, finance, HR, operations and cross-functional collaboration -- are four times more likely to have delivered on business objectives.
77% of respondents say talent and technology leadership roles are converging, suggesting tighter integration between talent, technology and enterprise strategy.
To view the full study, visit: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/c-suite-study/ceo
The study also features industry perspectives from senior executives on how business leaders are responding to AI-driven change. A selection of these firsthand views are available in the addendum below.
*Study Methodology
The IBM Institute for Business Value, in cooperation with Oxford Economics, conducted a survey of 2,000 CEOs and equivalent senior leaders across 33 geographies and 21 industries from February to April 2026. The survey explored how leaders are redesigning business models, operating structures and execution capabilities in an AI-driven economy, with additional analysis examining how organizations translate AI ambition into enterprise-wide execution and business value.
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. To receive more insights, subscribe to the IdeaWatch newsletter: https://ibm.co/ibv-ideawatch.
About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize 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 and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.
Media Contact
Marisa Conway
IBM Corporate Communications
conwaym@us.ibm.com
Executive Perspectives:
"It's not laying AI on top of your existing tools and services. It's reimagining the entire process." -- Pablo T. Rivero, CEO, Resy and SVP, Global Dining, American Express
"You can't forecast every disruption, but you can prepare by building organizations that are resilient, adaptable, and ready to operate through change." -- Andrew Anagnost, President and CEO, Autodesk
"AI has moved from the infrastructure layer, largely invisible, to the surface layer of how we work and how we serve customers." -- David Risher, CEO, Lyft
"The introduction of AI is more transformative than the introduction of the internet was at the time – not because of the technology itself, but because of its impact on how people work, decide and collaborate." -- Jan Polkerman, CEO, Dutch Tax and Customs Authority IT
"AI needs to be embedded into how we operate. That means integrating it into workflows across design, merchandising, marketing, stores, and operations—not as a separate initiative, but as part of how the business runs." - Patrice Louvet, President and CEO, Ralph Lauren Corporation
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SOURCE IBM
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