PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey, released on 19 January 2026, covers 4,454 CEOs in 95 countries and territories, surveyed between 30 September and 10 November 2025.
Headline findings
- 56% of CEOs report no significant financial benefit from AI to date.
- 12% report both cost and revenue benefits, and 33% report gains in one of the two.
- CEOs reporting both gains were two to three times more likely to say AI is embedded extensively across their organization.
- Those with strong AI foundations, such as responsible-AI frameworks, were three times more likely to report meaningful financial returns.
- 30% were confident about revenue growth over the next 12 months, down from 38% in 2025.
The takeaway
Returns are associated with depth of embedding and with governance foundations, not with the number of pilots. The practical question for a leadership team is where one or two AI capabilities can be embedded deeply in core processes, with the controls in place to trust them.
This is survey data on CEO perception, not audited financial results. It is useful for direction, not for forecasting your own return.