FEATURE // AI: From experimentation to execution
How corporates are responding to AI, according to Boston Consulting Group
Artificial intelligence is no longer a side bet. According to Boston Consulting Group’s latest AI Radar 2026, it is fast becoming central to corporate strategy, with investment in AI projected to double in 2026 as a share of company revenue. Perhaps most strikingly, 94% of organisations say they will continue investing in AI even if those investments do not pay off in the next 12 months. This signals a profound shift. AI is moving beyond experimentation into long-term transformation.
What has changed is not only the scale of investment, but who is leading it. BCG suggests AI transformation is increasingly moving from a CIO-led agenda to a CEO-led imperative, with 72% of CEOs now identifying themselves as the main decision-maker on AI in their organisations. For business leaders, this marks a strategic turning point. AI is no longer simply a technology conversation. It is a leadership capability, a governance question, and increasingly a competitive differentiator.
One of BCG's most compelling insights is the emergence of what they call “Trailblazer CEOs”, leaders who treat AI not as a productivity tool but as an end-to-end transformation agenda. While they represent only a small share of CEOs surveyed, these leaders are investing more aggressively, upskilling faster, and moving earlier on agentic AI. Their lesson is clear: competitive advantage may not come from adopting AI, but from how boldly and systematically organisations embed it.
The AI Radar 2026 also offers a useful corrective to some of the hype. Even as optimism rises, concerns around data privacy, cybersecurity, and governance remain front of mind. At the same time, the conversation is evolving from automation to reinvention. Nearly 90% of CEOs believe AI agents will enable measurable returns in 2026, and many now see AI reshaping workflows, decision rights and even business models. For MBA candidates and executives alike, this reinforces a pressing leadership challenge: understanding AI is no longer enough. The real question is how to lead through it.
If there is one message from BCG's analysis, it is that the winners in the AI era may not be those with the most advanced tools, but those with the clearest strategy. Investment matters, but so do organisational readiness, workforce capability, and the courage to rethink how value is created. As AI moves from buzzword to boardroom priority, the challenge for leaders is not whether to engage, but how quickly they can turn ambition into advantage.
by Shivani Ghai
