Nearly four in 10 global chief executives believe their companies will cease to exist within ten years if they do not reinvent their business models, according to new research from PwC highlighted on the first day of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.
The professional services firm’s 29th Annual Global CEO Survey reveals that leaders are grappling with interconnected shifts ranging from trust and innovation to climate considerations, creating an environment where volatility has become the baseline rather than the exception.
While investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure is accelerating, fewer than one-quarter of leaders say the technology is being applied extensively across core business activities.
Most respondents reported no meaningful revenue gains or cost reductions from AI over the past year, despite the technology reshaping competitive dynamics across industries.
“The takeaway is clear: organisations that move from pilots to enterprise-level integration will capture disproportionate value,” said Mohamed Kande, Global Chairman, PwC.
A widening gap
The survey of more than 4,400 chief executives across 95 countries highlights a widening gap between investment and adoption, even as the global economic map is being redrawn by historic build rates of energy systems, transportation corridors and data centres.
More than half of CEOs expect to make international investments in the year ahead, with the report noting specific momentum toward India and the Middle East as companies rethink their operations and risk management.
Digital strategy is becoming increasingly linked to global risk as nations adopt differing approaches to cloud sovereignty, technology governance and cybersecurity.
Concern about cyber risk has risen for the third consecutive year, now ranking alongside macroeconomic volatility as the top near-term threat facing global leaders.
While 30 per cent of leaders report revenue uplift from AI, the majority remain in the early stages of the adoption curve, a finding supported by workforce data showing only 14 per cent of employees utilise generative AI on a daily basis.
Productivity benefits
Encouragingly, 92 per cent of those daily users report tangible productivity benefits, suggesting significant potential for organisations that successfully scale their implementation.
The economic stakes are high, with research indicating that AI could add up to 15 per cent to global gross domestic product within a decade as the technology enables new methods of building and connecting communities.
This shift is rapidly altering the talent landscape, with required skills changing 66 per cent faster in the most AI-exposed occupations.
Companies that successfully adapt their business and operating models to these structural shifts achieve a 71 per cent performance premium compared to their peers.
