AI pressure grows: 86% of Singapore CEOs worry failed strategies could cost them their jobs

SINGAPORE: More than eight in 10 chief executive officers in Singapore believe their jobs could be at risk if their companies fail to deliver results from artificial intelligence (AI), reflecting the growing pressure on business leaders to prove that investments in the technology translate into tangible business outcomes.

The findings come from Dataiku’s Global AI Confessions Report: CEO Edition 2026, which surveyed 900 CEOs worldwide through research conducted by Harris Poll.

According to the report, 86 per cent of CEOs in Singapore believe their position would be at risk if they failed to generate business gains from AI by the end of 2026. This was higher than the global figure of 80 per cent. In addition, 83 per cent said they expect to see another CEO lose their job because of a failed AI strategy or an AI-related crisis.

The survey suggests that AI has evolved beyond being purely a technology initiative and is now firmly a matter of board-level accountability. While 62 per cent of Singapore CEOs ranked AI strategy as either a high or top business priority, only 13 per cent described it as their organisation’s single highest priority.

Although confidence in AI remains high, business leaders are still reluctant to relinquish decision-making entirely to the technology. The report found that 89 per cent of Singapore CEOs would be willing to stake their job on the success of AI initiatives. Even so, one in three said they would not allow AI to make decisions without human approval, highlighting continued caution over autonomous systems.

Governance emerged as another major concern. An overwhelming 95 per cent of Singapore CEOs believe employees are using generative AI tools without formal approval from their organisations. Meanwhile, 78 per cent expressed concern that AI agents could expose businesses to legal risks, while 59 per cent warned that a lack of explainability could damage customer trust or lead to a brand crisis.

The report also pointed to greater executive involvement in AI-related decision-making. Around 78 per cent of Singapore CEOs said their participation in AI decisions has increased, and 59 per cent said they are involved in most AI-related decisions within their organisations.

At the same time, enterprise AI investments are facing closer scrutiny from senior leadership. Nearly two-thirds of Singapore CEOs said they had challenged AI vendor or platform decisions made by their chief information officer or other executives during the past year, reflecting increased oversight of AI spending and implementation.

Despite the heightened scrutiny, CEOs remain optimistic about expanding AI adoption. The report found that 81 per cent of Singapore CEOs believe they will be able to deploy AI agents at full scale this year.

However, implementation challenges continue to slow progress. According to the report, 88 per cent of chief information officers said shortcomings in explainability and traceability have already delayed or prevented AI projects from moving into production, underlining the operational hurdles organisations continue to face even as AI adoption accelerates.