CIOs Temper AI Hype with Caution and Practicality: Survey

Amid surging hype around artificial intelligence, CIOs remain measured in their approach, according to a new survey by Experis.

Only 13% of technology leaders rank AI delivery among their top priorities, despite growing external pressure to adopt the technology.

The survey reveals that while 36% of CIOs see AI as a potential game-changer, they believe it needs further refinement before widespread deployment.

About 37% view generative AI as useful for specific applications but not yet transformative. Still, confidence in AI’s long-term business value is growing, with 67% of organizations planning to increase investment through 2025 — even though 60% remain in early stages of adoption.

Notably, CIOs are emphasizing ROI-driven projects, prioritizing automation, better decision-making, and cost savings over speculative implementations.

Many are also embedding robust security measures in AI deployments, aligning with zero-trust models and involving CISOs early in the project lifecycle.

“AI has enormous potential, and now is the time to exploit it,” said Myriam Blázquez, CEO of Experis. Yet, the prevailing sentiment remains clear: businesses want tangible outcomes, not just innovation for its own sake.

The company claimed to have surveyed 1,393 leaders, including 480 C-suite tech executives and 913 senior IT decision-makers.