A new global study from IBM Institute for Business Value highlight that CEOs in Philippines are among the most confident adopters of enterprise AI, as organizations accelerate the shift toward AI-driven operating models and fundamentally reshape how leadership teams function.
The findings underscore a clear trend: Philippine CEOs surveyed are moving strategically to embed AI into decision-making, compress operating cycles and rethink traditional leadership structures, reflecting a strong appetite for technology-driven transformation across the country’s business landscape.
In the foreword of the study, IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn writes, “The CEO’s role has always been to lead through disruption. What AI changes is the velocity and consequences of leadership. Enterprises that succeed will operate AI-first – not as a layer of technology, but as a new operating model. Decision cycles will compress. Boundaries between functions will dissolve. Advantage will accrue to those who can learn, adapt, and execute faster than their competitors.”
The annual IBM CEO study, based on a survey of 2,000 CEOs globally, shows that as AI becomes integrated across the enterprise, leaders are under growing pressure to redesign C-suite roles, rethink accountability and rebalance decision-making authority.
“APAC CEOs are setting the global pace for AI adoption, moving decisively beyond experimentation toward AI‑driven leadership. What stands out is not only their confidence in the technology, but how deliberately they are embedding AI at the core of decision‑making and operations — with a clear willingness to move early and move fast, even amid uncertainty,” said Juhi McClelland, Managing Director, IBM Consulting, Asia Pacific. “Technology alone, however, won’t deliver impact. Real success will depend on how leaders empower their people, redesign roles, evolve processes, and embed AI responsibly across the enterprise.”
“Philippine CEOs surveyed are among the most decisive in embracing AI and yet, only a fraction say they have a clear vision for how it will deliver competitive advantage. That gap provides a clear signal: AI cannot scale on ambition alone; it demands organizations to fundamentally rethink how they operate. The companies that will come out ahead are those that move beyond treating AI as a project, and start running their business with AI at the core,” said Leo Capinpin, Country General Manager and Technology Leader, IBM Philippines.
Philippine organizations are relying on AI for strategic decisions
- 80% of Philippine CEOs surveyed are comfortable making major strategic decisions using AI-generated insights, higher than the 64% global average.
- 73% of Philippine executives surveyed believe many tactical and operational decisions would be made more quickly and effectively by AI than people, compared to 57% globally.
- At the same time, 83% of respondents agree that AI sovereignty is essential to business strategy, reflecting a growing focus on governance, control and accountability.
New challenges demand different kinds of leadership
- 97% of Philippine CEOs surveyed say all functional leaders must become technology experts within their domains.
- Among Philippine organizations with a Chief AI Officer, CEOs expect to see the role’s influence to increase through 2030, alongside rising influence across every member of the C-suite.
- 53% of Philippine executives surveyed expect increased influence of CHROs over the next few years, highlighting the growing importance of workforce transformation.
As Philippine CEOs turn to AI-driven decisions, governance and controls become more critical
- By 2030, surveyed CEOs expect 49% of operational decisions where consistency and guardrails can be codified will be made by AI without human intervention, compared to 25% today.
- 87% of executives surveyed confirm they are decentralizing decision-making, distributing accountability as AI plays a more significant role enterprise-wide.
Speed and investment pressures intensify for Philippine executives
- 93% of CEOs surveyed say changes to competitive environment are happening faster than their organizations can fully implement processes and budgets, higher than the 78% global average.
- 97% of executives surveyed believe compressing operating cycles is essential to changing their organization’s trajectory, compared to 86% globally.
- 83% of CEOs surveyed say AI has led them to revise the criteria by which they evaluate investment opportunities.
- Yet, 73% of respondents say the risk of falling behind is driving them to invest in some technologies before they have a clear understanding of the value they bring,
- Only 63% of CEOs surveyed say they have a clear vision for how AI solutions tailored to their organization’s needs will deliver competitive advantage—highlighting a gap between urgency and strategy.
Organizations are betting on people to drive AI success
- 90% of Philippine CEOs surveyed say AI success depends more on employee adoption than the technology itself.
- Between 2026 and 2028, Philippine respondents expect 31% of employees to require reskilling for a different role, and 55% to need upskilling to perform their current role more effectively.
- Globally, surveyed organizations that redesigned five core areas—technology, finance, HR, operations and cross-functional collaboration—are four times more likely to have delivered on business objectives.
- 77% of Philippine respondents say talent and technology leadership roles are converging, suggesting tighter integration between talent, technology and enterprise strategy.
To view the full study, visit: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/c-suite-study/ceo.
