EXPEREO-SPONSORED SURVEY: AI ROLLOUT STALLED BY BOARDROOM OVERREACH

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- A third of global technology leaders believe their board have unrealistic expectations or demands on how new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) will impact business performance—posing a serious hurdle to AI implementation globally.

Amid the volatile economic backdrop, confidence in AI remains high, with 87 per cent of business leaders believing AI will play a critical role in fulfilling business priorities in the next 12 months, according to a statement.

Commissioned by Expereo, the IDC InfoBrief titled “Enterprise Horizons 2025: Technology Leaders Priorities: Achieving Digital Agility” revealed AI is meeting or exceeding expectations for most organisations, with just 12 per cent reporting underperformance. Leaders especially see promise in AI improving customer experiences and reducing costs—each cited by 66 per cent of respondents.

However, unrealistic board expectations could throw organisations' AI plans into chaos, as 28 per cent of tech executives say expectations within their organisation of what AI can do are growing faster than their ability to meet them.

The study, which surveyed 650 technology leaders in global organisations across Europe, the United States, and Asia Pacific, found that 34 per cent have had to reevaluate their tech infrastructure due to rising geopolitical risks, and 37 per cent say such disruptions are impacting their company’s growth plans.

Yet, infrastructure remains a major barrier, with a majority of respondents (52 per cent) saying their current network and connectivity systems are not ready to support AI initiatives. Additionally, 45 per cent report that poor network performance is hindering large-scale AI or data projects, a rise from 38 per cent in 2024.

Beyond technical hurdles, ethical concerns (42 per cent), employee resistance (35 per cent), and the struggle to keep pace with change (34 per cent) are also slowing AI adoption. Another 29 per cent cite lack of capabilities from current tech partners as a major obstacle.

Still, AI is elevating the role of tech leaders, with 79 per cent saying their visibility at the board level has increased due to the AI focus—up from 60 per cent last year.

-- BERNAMA