CEOs seem determined to keep spending on AI - despite mixed success

• Two-thirds of CEOs plan to increase AI spend in 2026, report claims
• Most leaders agree entry-level and senior leadership roles could see a boost
• Jobs are shifting, with a new emphasis on human-AI collaboration emerging

Despite being widely linked to layoffs across all sectors, leaders actually see AI tools having a positive effect on jobs, with two in three public company CEOs surveyed in a recent Teneo report expecting AI to increase entry-level hiring in 2026.

AI was initially met with heavy scepticism, but as the world transitioned from experimentation to implementation, companies are figuring out exactly where artificial intelligence can play a role in the workplace, and it's not bad news after all.

It's not just entry-level roles that could see a boost – more than half (58%) of CEOs also expect growth in senior leadership roles.

AI could lead to net job creation, after all

On the whole, CEOs agree that AI is reconfiguring jobs by automating some tasks and creating new ones, rather than entirely eliminating human roles. New job titles, like decision designer and AI experience officer, are also emerging, highlighting a new era of human-AI collaboration.

"It's not that AI is wiping out the workforce today – it's reshaping it," Teneo Global Head of AI Ryan Cox explained.

Teneo's report (via Business Insider), which found two-thirds (68%) of CEOs plan to increase AI spending in 2026 (a minor two percentage point increase from last year).

A consistency in AI spend projections, rather than a huge spike, comes amid ongoing apprehension over its success. So far, fewer than half of AI projects have generated returns exceeding their costs, and only half (53%) of investors expect AI investments to pay off within six months.

Moreover, most (16%) CEOs don't agree that fast returns on investments are realistic, with areas like security, legal and HR lagging behind areas like marketing and customer service.

Companies may also be looking to spend more on AI because not even one-third of(31%) expect global economic improvement in 2026, down from 51% last year, suggesting CEOs are looking to regain control over their success.

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