Competitiveness at risk: CEOs doubt the AI knowledge of their management teams

CEOs lack confidence in the AI skills of their management teams. More than three quarters of CEOs believe that artificial intelligence is changing the economy. However, they attest that their company executives lack the knowledge and skills in dealing with AI to drive this change and achieve corresponding business results. This is the result of a survey conducted by IT consulting firm Gartner. Technical managers are also affected by the lack of confidence.

CEOs: HR managers have the least knowledge of AI

Only 46 percent of CEOs believe that their Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) has sufficient AI skills, just above the Chief Information Officer (CIO) at around 44 percent. 40 percent of CEOs are confident in the AI knowledge of their Chief Data Officer (CDO). Their confidence in the AI skills of managers in non-technical areas such as finance, marketing or sales is less high. Here, less than a fifth of the CEOs surveyed rely on their expertise in dealing with artificial intelligence.

In these areas, the discrepancy between CEOs' perceived AI skills and other, broader technical skills is also particularly high. CEOs are three times more likely to rate finance and marketing leaders as having sufficient skills in general technology handling than in AI. CEOs are least likely to rate the AI skills of their company's heads of HR development and administration. Less than one in ten CEOs trust their AI knowledge.

Companies must promote AI skills

In view of the survey results, Gartner analyst David Furlonger urges companies to act quickly. Without sufficient AI skills at management level, competitiveness will suffer. "The viability of companies is at stake", he warns. The managing directors point to the labor market. There is a lack of personnel with the necessary qualifications. In addition, economic forecasts are difficult to make.

Gartner analyst Jennifer Carter therefore points to internal training in the use of artificial intelligence. "Success is no longer achieved through new hires alone", she explains. "Rather, it's about equipping existing employees with the skills they need to seamlessly integrate AI into their day-to-day work."

For the study, the authors surveyed a total of 456 CEOs and managing directors on their assessment of the AI skills of the boardroom. German companies also rarely have strategies in place for AI training, according to a study by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft and McKinsey. In most cases, there are budget bottlenecks and uncertainties regarding the required qualifications. In addition, the majority of employees have no interest in acquiring additional AI skills.

(sfe)