IBM study finds 76% of companies now have a chief AI officer, up from 26% last year

CEOs Are Restructuring Leadership Teams to Operate AI-First, IBM Study Finds

Seventy-six percent of organizations now have a Chief AI Officer, up from 26% a year ago, according to a global IBM study of 2,000 CEOs. The rapid adoption signals a fundamental shift in how companies structure their executive teams to compete in an AI-driven market.

The study, conducted between February and April 2026, examined how senior leaders are redesigning business operations and decision-making processes as AI becomes more central to enterprise strategy. The findings show CEOs are moving beyond treating AI as a technology layer and instead building it into their operating model.

Decision-Making Authority Shifting to AI

Sixty-four percent of surveyed CEOs said they are comfortable making major strategic decisions based on AI-generated input. By 2030, leaders expect AI to make 48% of operational decisions without human intervention, compared to 25% today-but only in areas where outcomes can be consistently codified with clear guardrails.

This expansion of AI decision-making is driving changes across the C-suite. Seventy-nine percent of executives said they are decentralizing decision-making and distributing accountability as AI takes on more operational responsibility.

All Functional Leaders Must Become Technology Experts

Eighty-five percent of respondents said all functional leaders must develop technology expertise in their domain. This reflects a broader expectation that AI accountability is no longer confined to specialized roles.

The Chief Human Resources Officer role is gaining influence. Fifty-nine percent of CEOs expect the CHRO's influence to increase in coming years, reflecting the critical role talent plays in AI adoption.

People, Not Technology, Drive AI Success

Eighty-three percent of CEOs said AI success depends more on employee adoption than on the technology itself. Yet only 25% of the workforce regularly uses AI in their jobs, despite 86% of leaders believing their employees have the skills to work with AI.

Between 2026 and 2028, organizations expect 29% of employees to need reskilling for different roles and 53% to need upskilling to perform their current roles more effectively.

Organizations that redesigned five core business areas-technology, finance, HR, operations, and cross-functional collaboration-were four times more likely to deliver on business objectives.

AI Sovereignty Becomes a Strategic Priority

Eighty-three percent of respondents said AI sovereignty is essential to business strategy. As AI plays a larger role across the enterprise, leaders are prioritizing governance and controls to manage risk and ensure compliance.

Companies with an AI-first approach to C-suite design have scaled 10% more AI initiatives enterprise-wide than peers without such structure, the study found.

Talent and Technology Leadership Are Converging

Seventy-seven percent of respondents said talent and technology leadership roles are converging, indicating tighter integration between talent strategy, technology infrastructure, and overall business strategy.

Among organizations with a Chief AI Officer, all surveyed CEOs expect the role's influence to increase by 2030, alongside rising influence across every C-suite position.

For executives developing AI strategy, the AI Learning Path for CEOs offers structured guidance on building organizational capabilities. Additional resources on AI for Executives & Strategy cover enterprise-wide adoption and decision-making frameworks.

The full IBM CEO study is available online, along with perspectives from senior executives on how business leaders are responding to AI-driven change.