Generative AI Material Impact Expected by CEOs: Survey

Almost all business leaders in a new industry survey said they have invested in generative AI and a further 83% had established expert or robust teams dedicated to the technology, a new report by NTT Data found. 

The study, Global GenAI Report: How organizations are mastering their generative AI destiny in 2025, surveyed more than 2,300 IT and business leaders in 34 countries and 12 industries, including logistics, manufacturing and health care. 

In the survey, 97% of CEOs said they anticipate a material impact from generative AI technology, 96% said they are considering how the technology can streamline future employee workflows and support processes and 99% are planning further investments. 

Top uses cases for adopting generative AI were personalized service recommendations and knowledge management, quality control and research and development. 

Abhijit Dubey, chief executive officer at NTT Data, a global digital business and IT services provider, said it is evident that generative AI is shaping up to be a ‘huge force’ in the tech-enabled economy and that now is a powerful point in world history. 

Two-thirds of business leaders expected the technology to be a game changer over the next two years, improving productivity, efficiency, sustainability, compliance, business processes, security and employee experience. 

A major contributing factor to the positive sentiment toward generative AI is its accessibility to nontechnical users, the report noted. 

For example, Carlos Galve, co-head of global generative AI office at NTT Data said: “I cannot find any other technology more transformational than generative AI. It can be applied to all industries, to all value chains, to all the specific tasks we do. Give me any kind of task and I will find some part of it where generative AI will add value.” 

But there are challenges to adoption. For example, 90% of business leaders said legacy infrastructure hinders effective use of generative AI. And despite 83% of respondents having  a well-defined strategy in place, 51% have not yet aligned this with their business plans.

In this respect, there should be no generative AI strategy separate from a business strategy, advised David Pereira, chief generative AI officer for Europe and Latin America at NTT Data. 

“The goal shouldn’t be just to have these strategies in place but also to understand how they combine within the organization and to have the right culture to solve your business challenges in the best way possible,” he said. 

Other top obstacles to adoption included users who perceive limited value for a generative AI solutions, limited or no awareness of the solution, user resistance to the technology and concerns about the technology’s safety and security 

Yet despite the challenges, 68% of respondents still said they feel excited and amazed about generative AI’s transformative potential.