KPMG CEO Survey: 67% of Top Leaders Have Not Redefined Roles for AI — Yet

The Gap Between Investment and Organization

KPMG's 2026 CEO Outlook Pulse Survey (100 large US companies) shows that 67% of top leaders have not redefined roles or career paths to account for AI. 61% are concerned about their ability to recruit AI-technical talent. Nevertheless, more than half of CEOs actually plan to increase hiring as a result of AI in 2026, while only 1 in 10 plans to cut positions.

Relevance

The gap between AI investment and organizational change is the biggest risk that AI investments won't deliver returns.

My assessment

This is a useful temperature check: companies are spending heavily on AI, but haven't done the work of changing the structures around it. That's where investments get lost. In the companies I advise I see the same pattern — some have taken steps, but none are done. Competency development and role definition must happen IN PARALLEL with technology procurement, not afterward.