The consulting giant questioned 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries and territories about their strategic priorities and outlook in the year up to November 2025. More than half of the CEOs surveyed, 56%, said AI hasn't produced revenue or cost benefits for their businesses to date. Some reported benefits for either revenue or costs: around a third said their revenue was up in the last year, and 26% said they were seeing lower costs from AI.
By the numbers: Confidence dipped one point from the previous quarter, to 48, per the report from the Conference Board, a nonpartisan think tank and the Business Council, an association of CEOs. A number below 50 reflects more negative than positive responses. 64% of CEOs said that they are preparing for a mild economic slowdown with slightly increased inflation pressure - a one-two punch known as stagflation. Only 22% said they were preparing for a "balanced economy with trend growth and gradual reduction in inflation pressure."