Corporate AI investment is growing significantly and will not pull back, with companies planning to double their spending on the technology in 2026, accounting for about 1.7 percent of revenues, more than twice the increase for 2025. CEOs are rolling up their sleeves and taking the lead as their companies’ main AI decision makers, with trailblazing chief executives now spending more than eight hours per week on their own AI upskilling and investing twice as much as their counterparts in upskilling and capability-building across their organizations.
“Despite economic uncertainty, this anticipated surge in spending reflects how much of a priority AI has become in the business world,” said Christoph Schweizer, BCG’s CEO and coauthor of the report. “AI is no longer confined to IT or innovation teams — it’s reshaping strategy and operations from the top down with CEOs taking a leading role. Nearly three-quarters of CEOs say they are now the main decision makers on A
