CEOs need to be deeply aware of AI

I was reading Yahoo Finance today and came across an interview with Cisco’s President, who made a striking point- most CEOs aren’t ready for AI. That statement really stuck with me because it is very true. And... it is more urgent than ever that business leaders see AI for what it really is- not just a buzzword or a shiny new tool, but a fundamental shift that is already redefining entire industries.

It is easy for CEOs to think of AI as the ChatGPTs, Groks, or DeepSeeks of the world... interesting, headline-grabbing innovations that someone in IT can play around with while the real business continues as usual. But that is no longer enough. If you are a CEO today, you have to understand AI beyond the chatbots and language models. You need to know how it is weaving itself into the core of your business operations, your customer interactions, your supply chain, your security... everything.

Take IT as a service, for example. This used to be a clear-cut department, often seen as a support function that kept the servers running, handled helpdesk tickets, or managed the organization's networking needs. But with AI, the entire paradigm of IT is shifting from reactive support to proactive value creation. AI can detect anomalies in real-time, automate repetitive tasks, optimize cloud resources, and even forecast IT incidents before they happen. Managed service providers (MSPs) and internal IT teams that don’t embed AI into their operations will fall behind, because the competitive edge will come mainly from speed, automation, and predictive capabilities... good old manual processes will just not suffice anymore!

CEOs need to champion that mindset shift because it impacts cost, security, and growth all at once.

Look at oil and gas, another industry not always seen as a front-runner in digital transformation. Today, AI is helping optimize drilling operations, predict equipment failures, and even reduce environmental impact by analyzing seismic data and production levels more accurately. Imagine the cost savings when you can detect a pipeline fault before it causes a shutdown, or when predictive maintenance avoids an expensive equipment failure in the middle of the ocean. For an oil and gas CEO, knowing how AI tools can squeeze out inefficiencies, improve safety, and help meet ESG goals isn’t a nice-to-have, it is imperative.

But here is the real catch: AI’s impact isn’t generic. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution you can plug into your company overnight. It looks different for retail, for healthcare, for finance, and for manufacturing. That’s why CEOs need to move beyond AI as a tech trend and ask the hard questions: How is AI specifically transforming my industry? Where will we lose out if we don’t adapt? What skills do we need to build? What risks do we need to manage? And how do we ensure our people, not just our tech, are ready for this new reality?

Finally we need to keep in mind that AI is more than a toolkit. It is a catalyst that demands CEOs rethink how their entire business creates and captures value. Staying on the sidelines or delegating all AI thinking to the IT department isn’t just a missed opportunity... it is a major risk that can quickly escalate into an existential threat.

So yes, many CEOs aren’t ready for AI... yet. But those who commit to understanding its true potential in their industry, who invest in the right talent and build a culture that embraces AI responsibly, will be the ones who lead, not follow, in the years ahead.

#AILeadership #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork