CEOs bet on growth, resilience and AI: Survey

NEW DELHI: CEOs in India aim to sustain growth amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, with resilience, talent development and the ability to translate AI investments into measurable business gains emerging as key priorities. The challenge lies in capitalising on India’s economic momentum while strengthening cyber security and preparing the workforce for future demands, according to a KPMG survey shared exclusively with TOI.The survey, conducted between Aug and Sept among 1,400 CEOs globally, including 125 in India, found that business leaders remain confident about growth, supported by investment in talent and technology, scenario planning and efforts to build more agile and resilient organisations.``For India’s CEOs, the biggest opportunities lie in the country’s growth momentum, AI-led transformation and sustainable value creation. At the same time, success will depend on how effectively organisations address cybersecurity risks, build future-ready talent and translate technology investments into measurable business outcomes’’, Yezdi Nagporewalla, CEO, KPMG in India said.Notably, 69% of CEOs in India are confident about the global economic outlook, compared with 65% of CEOs worldwide. The same proportion of India’s business leaders expect earnings to grow by 2.5% or more over the next three years, up from 61% in the previous year,However, the growth outlook remains exposed to significant risks. Globally, cyber and data security is the greatest threat to growth, followed by the global economic outlook, geopolitical instability and regulatory pressures. These concerns have contributed to a decline in CEOs’ confidence in the outlook.Further, attracting and retaining employees is the biggest workforce challenge for 54% of India’s CEOs, higher than the global average of 47%, the CEO Outlook study said.Despite these challenges, hiring plans remain strong. As many as 92% of India’s CEOs expect headcount to increase over the next three years, with 34% anticipating growth of 6% or more, compared with 27% of CEOs globally expecting an increase. At the same time, organisations are preparing for AI-related disruption through retraining, recruitment, role redesign and greater attention to skills gaps, the survey said.The survey also highlights a shift. While 2025 was focused on building readiness for an AI-led future, 2026 is about converting that preparation into growth through responsible AI deployment, cyber resilience, and talent transformation.For India, the emphasis on domestic large language models (LLMs) and trusted AI ecosystems adds a further dimension to the AI agenda, reflecting a focus on developing home-grown capabilities.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.