The pace at which artificial intelligence continues to evolve is breathtaking — yet, even more remarkable is the extraordinary enthusiasm surrounding it, particularly among corporate leaders who view it as the next great engine of growth. For many chief executives, the excitement has transformed into unshakable conviction: AI is not merely a technological experiment but an imminent source of measurable returns. According to a recent KPMG US survey encompassing 400 executives from major American corporations, nearly seven out of ten CEOs now believe that their organizations will begin to see meaningful returns from AI investments within a span of one to three years. This marks a colossal leap in confidence when compared with the prior year, during which only about a fifth of respondents—roughly twenty-one percent—expressed similar optimism.
Tim Walsh, KPMG US Chair and CEO, highlighted this remarkable attitudinal swing, noting to Business Insider that confidence has shifted “completely to the other extreme.” In practical terms, this means many leaders have moved from a cautious wait-and-see approach to a proactive commitment to integrate AI across their operations. Approximately two in ten executives now go even further, expecting returns in as little as six months to a year — a surge from just one percent holding that view the previous year. Conducted between early August and mid-September, the survey underscores a decisive change in the corporate psyche: AI is no longer treated as distant potential but as a current strategic necessity. Walsh remarked that this mounting expectation surrounding AI’s capabilities is already influencing how organizations conceptualize their businesses, prompting a reevaluation of roles, operations, and even the architecture of corporate structure itself.
In Walsh’s perspective, the spread of AI will permeate virtually every layer of the workforce, affecting employees across numerous sectors. He asserts that every tier within the traditional labor hierarchy is beginning to experience disruption — from entry-level professionals to senior specialists — irrespective of industry. The central question, he cautions, is not whether this transformation will occur but rather how rapidly it will unfold. Herein lies the great uncertainty: AI’s swift progress has defied even the boldest predictions, making it exceedingly difficult to forecast the speed or scale of the changes ahead.
One of the most thought-provoking consequences of AI’s rise, Walsh explained, could be a fundamental shift in corporate structure. The proliferation of AI agents capable of executing tasks once reserved for humans may dramatically alter how organizations arrange labor and managerial oversight. Nearly seventy percent of the CEOs surveyed foresee their organizations evolving into what Walsh calls an “hourglass” shape — broader at the top and bottom but narrowing sharply in the middle. Historically, technological innovations have tended to disrupt mid-skill roles first, trimming layers of middle management or operational oversight. If realized, this would represent a meaningful departure from the conventional corporate pyramid, where the workforce has traditionally been concentrated nearer to the base.
Even as he acknowledges that discussions about the pyramid’s demise have persisted for years, Walsh remains cautiously agnostic about how far such structural transformations will go. “Everyone said the pyramid was going away for years,” he observed, “and yet it still stands.” Still, he concedes that the visual and functional composition of future organizations could gradually shift. The unresolved question — and the one dominating his conversations with fellow executives — is the degree to which these changes will manifest. In his words: “To what extent is the question. We do not know. Nobody knows yet.”
Many leaders, Walsh noted, are still in the exploratory phase, trying to discern which specific AI agents and software systems can be meaningfully integrated into their operations and what ripple effects such integrations might engender. For forward-thinking leaders, he argues, the true responsibility lies not in eliminating positions but in retraining and repositioning human talent. When AI begins to assume certain repetitive or analytical tasks, he said, the imperative is to help affected employees develop new competencies that allow them to transition into roles aligned with emerging business needs. In his view, the integration of AI should be regarded not as a “get rid of” exercise but rather as an ambitious “retrain” initiative focused on cultivating adaptability across the workforce.
Nevertheless, the rapid pace of technological advancement has stirred unease across industries, with many employees expressing apprehension that AI might replace rather than augment human jobs. Walsh acknowledged this anxiety, pointing out that public discussions frequently reveal widespread concern about the security of traditional employment. Still, he maintains an optimistic outlook. Over time, he believes that AI will unlock more opportunities for human work, not fewer, as new categories of employment and entirely fresh modes of collaboration emerge in response to technological progress.
Since assuming leadership of KPMG US in July, Walsh has engaged in countless dialogues with other senior executives, and a recurring theme dominates these conversations: uncertainty. Leaders everywhere are questioning how AI will concretely reshape their companies — and, perhaps more vexingly, when these shifts will take hold. The uncertainty stems from AI’s nature: unlike past technological waves that reached a predictable plateau, AI remains in a dynamic state of evolution, advancing with extraordinary speed and continuously expanding its role within business operations.
Despite the ambiguity, optimism remains strong. A striking eighty-six percent of CEOs surveyed anticipate that AI agents will soon function as “embedded team members” within their organizations, assisting humans in daily workflows and decision-making by next year. Yet this enthusiasm is tempered by pragmatism: roughly one-third of respondents admit they may need to reduce headcount in selected areas over the next two to five years as automation scales. Integrating AI agents into workplace teams, Walsh explained, will transform core processes, making them more efficient but also more reliant on human oversight, coordination, and ethical management. Consequently, companies exploring such integration must now train employees in areas that, as Walsh observed, they “would never even have thought possible” a year prior.
While AI is a central force of disruption, Walsh emphasized that it is not the only issue preoccupying corporate America’s top leaders. Many CEOs are simultaneously grappling with shifting global trade dynamics — notably the impact of tariffs, which nearly nine out of ten respondents said would significantly influence business performance and operational planning within the coming three years. To mitigate these pressures, many firms expect to raise prices on goods and services, adjusting financial strategies to maintain stability amid economic turbulence.
Looking across this complex terrain, Walsh concludes that business leaders now operate in an era defined by velocity, volatility, and transformation. The relentless pace of technological and geopolitical change demands agility, foresight, and a willingness to adapt both structure and mindset. His discussions with peers revolve around a sobering recognition: the environment ahead will be governed by “uncertainty and change” as constants rather than exceptions. In this new reality, the ability to learn swiftly, pivot decisively, and harness technology responsibly will distinguish those organizations that thrive from those that merely struggle to survive.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/ceos-more-confident-that-their-ai-investments-will-pay-off-2025-10
