Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a peripheral or experimental topic in global enterprises. According to the AI Radar 2026 study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), published in January 2026, AI investments are set to double this year. And, most importantly, strategic responsibility now rests at the highest level: that of the chief executive.
This shift is one of the clearest signals that AI is ceasing to be a “technology initiative” to become a central lever of competitive strategy and performance. This transformation raises fundamental questions about governance, internal organization, skills, and the risks inherent in adopting such powerful technologies.
AI Investment Shifting into High Gear
The BCG report reveals that companies, across all sizes and industries, plan to double their AI spending in 2026, reaching approximately 1.7% of average revenue. This increase is more than double that observed for 2025, reflecting a drastic intensification of allocated budgets.
This movement confirms that AI is becoming a central strategic asset rather than simply an operational accelerator. Many companies have reached a tipping point: the debate is no longer whether investing in AI is relevant, but how to integrate AI in a sustainable and structured way.
Several factors explain this surge in investment:
- Nearly 90% of executives believe that AI, particularly intelligent agents, will produce measurable results by the end of 2026.
- Sustained spending despite uncertainty: 94% of companies wish to maintain or increase their spending even if results are not immediate.
- Reallocation of technology budgets: executives are redirecting their resources toward AI initiatives with high strategic transformation potential rather than purely defensive projects.
This dynamic illustrates a long-term vision: organizations are directing their resources toward technologies they deem essential to remain competitive in a rapidly changing digital economy.
CEOs at the Center of the AI Roadmap
One of the most striking findings of the report is that AI strategy is no longer driven solely by technical or IT leadership. Today, nearly 72% of CEOs report being the primary decision-makers regarding AI in their organization.
This movement is twice as strong as before, and it marks a clear redeployment of strategic responsibility toward the top of the organizational chart. This trend has several implications:
- AI is now a governance issue: the driving forces behind this transformation are no longer just technical experts, but CEOs themselves, who must arbitrate between opportunities, risks, investments, and organizational transformation.
- A skills challenge for executives: some CEOs dedicate more than eight hours per week to their own AI skill development. This underscores both the complexity of these technologies and the growing expectations regarding digital leadership.
- A direct link between AI and leadership survival: nearly 50% of CEOs believe their role could be compromised if AI fails to produce the expected results.
This means that AI is no longer a secondary technical topic, but an existential issue for executives. In this context, we must ask: is the increased attention paid by CEOs to AI a reflection of genuine organizational maturity or rather a response to external and internal pressures?
BCG identifies three CEO archetypes in their approach to AI:
- Followers — ~15%
These are cautious leaders who remain on the defensive. They conduct pilot projects, adopt an iterative approach, and hesitate to engage in large-scale transformations. Their strategy often resembles a market reaction rather than proactive anticipation.
- Pragmatists — ~70%
The majority of CEOs fall into this category. They recognize the importance of AI, invest, but remain aligned with market standards rather than a disruptive vision. Their objective is to remain relevant, without fundamentally disrupting the existing business model.
- Trailblazers — ~15%
This group adopts a resolutely proactive stance. They invest significantly, conduct large-scale deployments, and focus on deep organizational transformation. These are the CEOs who integrate AI not as a tool, but as a structuring vector of growth and innovation.
This classification raises a critical question.
Don’t organizations that succeed with AI owe their success more to adapted governance, solid internal skills, and a learning culture, than to the isolated impulse of the CEO? The role of the leader is essential, but without an organization ready to absorb AI, results are likely to be mixed.
Investment, Innovation, and Risks
Executive leadership has clearly chosen to invest massively, even at the cost of deferred return on investment. A majority of companies accept funding initiatives that may not pay off immediately, but are deemed essential to prepare the company for the long term.
What types of investments are prioritized?
The report highlights several key areas:
- AI agents capable of generating automated results and accelerating business processes.
- Strengthening internal skills, with a significant portion of the budget devoted to training.
- Adjacent technologies, such as cloud infrastructure, data engineering, and analytics platforms.
This highlights a paradoxical dynamic: despite executive enthusiasm, areas of uncertainty persist, particularly around governance, security, data protection, and algorithmic bias. Without a robust internal architecture, these risks can quickly outweigh the expected gains.
Governance, an Open Question
The BCG study invites deep reflection on AI governance. If CEOs are taking charge of AI strategy, how many organizations have developed dedicated governance structures, risk control mechanisms, and ethical standards?
Many external observers point out that centralizing decision-making at the top, without distributed skills and appropriate oversight mechanisms, may be a warning signal rather than a sign of maturity. Indeed, when AI becomes a personal obsession of the CEO, it sometimes reveals a lack of qualified executors or insufficient governance at the organizational level.
This observation opens several avenues for reflection:
- How to articulate strategic leadership and organizational execution capacity?
- What governance models ensure secure, responsible, and profitable AI adoption?
- What role for ethics committees, compliance officers, and technical teams in an environment where the final decision rests with executives?
These questions are essential. Leadership that drives the AI agenda alone without supporting structure can accelerate initiatives, but it also risks increasing operational, regulatory, and reputational risks.
Conclusion: A Major Strategic Turning Point
The AI Radar 2026 study by the Boston Consulting Group highlights a strategic turning point for artificial intelligence within global organizations. AI investments are no longer confined to laboratories or digital departments: they have become a central priority for executives, committed to making AI a structuring axis of performance and competitiveness.
That said, success does not rest solely on CEO commitment. Without adapted organizational structures, clear governance, and consolidated internal skills, this bet on AI could face significant limitations.
At a time when CEOs claim dual responsibility—strategic and personal—the question remains: are companies up to the ambition they display? Or are we witnessing a reshuffling of leadership cards, where AI becomes the litmus test for the 21st-century executive?
