At a Glance

  • C-suite confidence in AI varies significantly. According to a report released Thursday by consulting firm Protiviti, CIOs and other technology leaders have a net confidence level of 61% in AI driving revenue growth, while CEOs and board members have confidence levels about half that. The survey, conducted in partnership with the University of Oxford, polled more than 850 C-level executives globally.
  • The survey found that organizations with higher AI maturity and faster transformation progress reported higher performance outcomes, but the ultimate factor influencing AI confidence is the degree of consensus among the C-suite on outcomes.
  • "If the leadership team lacks consensus on what success looks like, even the most purposeful technology transformation strategy may struggle to produce results," Kim Bozzella, global leader of Protiviti's CIO solutions, said in a press release.

Deep Dive

For some enterprises, successfully adopting AI and realizing value remains elusive, asAI project maturity lagsshows.

The survey found that many enterprises face issues with data, costs, and workforce skill gaps, in addition to needing to align business needs and goals for AI projects. Bozzella told CIO Dive in an email that enterprises in the early stages of technology transformation may struggle to see return on investment—returns are often not immediate and are not easy to measure.

When C-suite members come from "fundamentally different perspectives," ROI becomes even harder to define, Bozzella said. Technology leaders are typically closer to the deployment and management of AI projects, but they may struggle to demonstrate value, which is often difficult to quantify.

Despite lower confidence in AI value among CEOs and board members, 40% of chief operating officers said they believe AI has the potential to be a value creator.

Bozzella said that to narrow the gap between technology leaders and other executives, organizations need a common understanding of success. They should also note that productivity gains do not automatically equate to business value.

Shared metrics, clearer communication of technology progress and business value, consistent governance, common timelines, and alignment with overall business strategy can help bridge the confidence gap, Bozzella said. Ideally, these processes should be completed before launching transformation, she said.

"From a CIO perspective, this means anchoring AI projects to enterprise strategy, defining measurable KPIs, and regularly communicating progress in business language rather than technical language to build trust in ROI realization," Bozzella said.

Note: This story has been updated to present confidence levels as net percentages.