CEO confidence of their income prospects has fallen to its lowest degree in 5 years, as enterprise leaders wrestle to show funding in synthetic intelligence (AI) into constant monetary returns, based on PwC. Findings from the consultancy’s twenty ninth World CEO Survey present that solely 30 p.c of CEOs are assured about income development over the subsequent 12 months. That compares with 38 p.c in 2025 and 56 p.c in 2022, suggesting a pointy cooling in optimism as organisations face a mixture of financial uncertainty, geopolitical stress and fast technological change. The survey relies on responses from 4,454 CEOs throughout 95 nations and territories.
Whereas AI continues to dominate boardroom agendas, the outcomes recommend many organisations stay caught in pilot mode. Solely 12 p.c of CEOs stated AI has delivered each price financial savings and income development to this point. An additional 33 p.c reported advantages in both price or income, whereas greater than half (56 p.c) stated they’ve seen no vital monetary influence.
PwC argues that is making a widening hole between these in a position to deploy AI at scale and people nonetheless experimenting. CEOs reporting the strongest outcomes have been two to a few instances extra more likely to say that they had embedded AI extensively throughout services and products, demand technology and strategic decision-making. These with stronger foundations, reminiscent of accountable AI frameworks and expertise environments that assist enterprise-wide integration, have been 3 times extra more likely to report significant returns.
Mohamed Kande, PwC’s world chairman, stated 2026 was shaping as much as be a decisive 12 months for AI, warning that organisations unable to maneuver past pilots threat falling behind.
Alongside the uneven progress on AI, CEOs additionally reported rising concern about exterior threats. One in 5 (20 p.c) stated their organisation is extremely or extraordinarily uncovered to the chance of serious monetary loss from tariffs within the subsequent 12 months, with publicity various by area. Cyber threat has additionally risen up the agenda, with 31 p.c of CEOs now describing it as a serious menace, up from 24 p.c final 12 months. In response, 84 p.c stated they plan to strengthen enterprise-wide cybersecurity as a part of their response to geopolitical threat.
Regardless of the more durable outlook, PwC stated many leaders are pursuing reinvention methods to drive development. Greater than 4 in ten CEOs (42 p.c) stated their organisation has begun competing in new sectors over the previous 5 years, whereas 44 p.c of these planning main acquisitions count on to speculate outdoors their present trade. Know-how was essentially the most enticing adjoining sector.
Worldwide funding stays on the agenda, with 51 p.c of CEOs planning to speculate abroad within the 12 months forward. The USA stays the highest vacation spot, with 35 p.c rating it amongst their high three markets. Curiosity in India has practically doubled year-on-year, with 13 p.c putting it of their high three.
Nonetheless, PwC stated many organisations nonetheless lack the constructions wanted to assist innovation. Solely round 1 / 4 of CEOs stated their enterprise tolerates excessive threat in innovation tasks, has disciplined processes to cease underperforming initiatives, or operates an outlined innovation centre or company venturing operate.
The survey additionally factors to the short-term pressures going through leaders. CEOs reported spending virtually half of their time (47 p.c) targeted on points with a horizon of lower than one 12 months, in contrast with simply 16 p.c on choices wanting greater than 5 years forward.
