A global study of 2,500 chief executives revealed clear differences at the heart of enterprise AI adoption. Trust in technology is at an all-time high, but so is concern that organizations are not moving fast enough to take advantage of it.
The study, released by Cisco, is based on responses from CEOs in 23 countries and marks the second consecutive year the networking giant has surveyed senior leaders on their attitudes toward artificial intelligence.
The picture that emerges is one of accelerating optimism running headlong into stubborn operational reality.
From skepticism to FOMO
91% of respondents said they were more optimistic about the potential of AI than they were a year ago. These are surprising numbers, suggesting that widespread skepticism among top executives has largely dissipated.
But optimism brought new problems. It’s the fear of missing out on an opportunity.
Currently, 65% of CEOs worry that they are underinvesting in AI and are consequently missing out on opportunities.
This is a significant increase from 53% who answered the same in last year’s survey. This is an increase of 12 percentage points in 12 months, reflecting how quickly the competitive stakes around AI have risen in boardrooms globally.
More than two-thirds (69%) now believe AI adoption is essential for modern businesses. This is not a competitive advantage or nice-to-have, but a basic requirement to stay relevant.
execution gap
Despite the optimistic sentiment, the study identifies three specific barriers that are slowing organizations down and widening the gap between leadership ambitions and field-level preparedness.
The first is infrastructure. More than half (53%) of CEOs are concerned that infrastructure limitations will hinder their AI ambitions, and upgrading infrastructure to handle AI workloads is a top priority for their organizations in 2026.
Right behind this is upskilling the team to be AI-ready. This is a sign that both people and system problems are being felt.
These concerns are supported by separate data from Cisco’s 2026 AI Readiness Index, a survey of more than 8,000 IT leaders around the world. According to the study, only 22% rated their networks as optimal for AI workloads. This is a serious gap between what CEOs want and what the technology infrastructure can actually support.
The second barrier is trust and security. As organizations move toward deploying AI agents, autonomous systems that can execute tasks independently, the security and control of these systems has emerged as a major concern among CEOs.
Deploying AI agents to work alongside employees is one of CEOs’ top three priorities for 2026, but the AI Readiness Index found that only 31% of organizations believe they can secure and control such systems. The desire to deploy and the ability to deploy safely are not yet aligned.
The third barrier is data. One in three CEOs (34%) say fragmented, inaccessible or low-quality data is the biggest obstacle to AI advancement. This is a bigger obstacle than any other problem with the survey.
The AI Readiness Index supports this, finding that only 19% of organizations have a fully centralized AI-accessible data infrastructure. Without clean, connected data, even the best AI tools struggle to deliver meaningful results.
Humans are currently constantly receiving information.
One of the more nuanced findings concerns the future relationship between AI systems and human workers.
Nearly all CEOs surveyed expect AI to play a significant role in business operations by 2030, but an overwhelming majority (72%) envision a future where AI supports or executes tasks solely based on human direction, judgment, or governance.
The reasons are a mix of practical and philosophical. Because it keeps AI systems safe, ensures productive human-AI collaboration, and explores the ethics of autonomous decision-making. As one CEO stated clearly in the survey:
“Move quickly with AI, but always make decisions based on human values.”
The knowledge gap is closing
One area of real progress stands out. The percentage of CEOs who say their understanding of AI gets in the way of boardroom discussions has decreased from 74% to 47% over the past year. The number of respondents who said limited AI knowledge prevents them from making informed decisions similarly decreased from 74% to 49%. The learning curve was steep, but it seemed effective.
Regional differences were also revealed. The study found that European CEOs are less obsessed with speed and more focused on getting AI adoption right, placing greater emphasis on trust, transparency and ethical alignment. One European CEO offered a cautionary note that echoed the sentiment: “Don’t rush into AI decisions without transparency. Restoring trust is harder than efficiency.”
what it means
Taken together, the findings show that C-suite executives are decisively moving beyond the question, “Will this work?” While being left behind is a real risk, the realization that the infrastructure, data and security foundations needed to move faster are not yet in place has led to a more uncomfortable phase of AI adoption.
According to Cisco’s index data, organizations that bridge all three gaps – network readiness, data centralization, and AI security – are already ahead. For everyone else, the race is on.