LONDON, UK, January 20, 2026 – New research from the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Business Value reveals that nearly eight in ten (77%) surveyed C-suite executives based in the UK and Ireland expect AI will significantly contribute to their revenue by 2030 which is up from 37% today. Yet, there is a gap between expectations and outcomes that presents a leadership challenge of this decade, as only 27% have a clear view of where that revenue will come from.  

Despite this uncertainty, investment is accelerating and respondents predict that AI investment will surge approximately 149% in the next four years. However, 73% of executives surveyed fear their AI efforts could fail without proper integration into core business activities. It’s not about bolting AI onto existing ways of working. It is pivoting to an AI-first enterprise. In the UK, nearly half (47%) of current AI spend now focuses on efficiency, but by 2030, respondents expect 64% will be dedicated to product, service and business model innovation.  

AI investment across public and private sectors has the potential to unlock huge growth in the UK. The UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan estimates AI could grow the UK economy by an additional £400 billion by 2030 through enhancing innovation and productivity. Yet, governance frameworks and trust will be key to deploying AI effectively. It will no longer be acceptable to choose between rapid change and governance; both are required for success. A separate IBM Global report found that 56% of global consumers are excited about AI-enabled services and are willing to accept flaws, but two-thirds would switch brands if a company intentionally concealed AI’s involvement in their experience.1 Furthermore, IBM recently launched IBM Sovereign Core, the industry’s first AIready, sovereignenabled software designed to give enterprises, governments and service providers full operational control over AI. 

Rahul Kalia, Managing Partner, UK and Ireland, IBM Consulting said: 

“AI is no longer just a tool for efficiency; it’s becoming a growth engine for the enterprise. With UK AI investment set to increase significantly in the next four years, success will hinge on integrating AI into core business strategies and reskilling the workforce. Organisations that act decisively, with the appropriate governance and controls in place for AI, will be the ones defining competitive advantage tomorrow.” 

The Enterprise in 2030 global study*, based on insights from 2,000 C-suite executives,  including 150 from UK and Ireland, across key UK sectors including Financial Services, Public Sector, Retail and Media & Entertainment shows that AI is emerging as a critical driver of enterprise growth through 2030.  

Further UK findings indicate that pivoting to AI innovation, a leadership and workforce reset and the right technology bets balanced with governance are critical to the UK’s economic growth.  

• With AI expected to boost productivity by 44% across the UK and Ireland and most gains captured by 2030, organisations are shifting from cost-cutting to innovation to create new value. A significant shift from focusing on resource optimisation, product and service innovation is the top priority for organisations between 2026 and 2030. 

• At the same time workforce and skills transformation is underway. 51% of executives predict that most of their organisations’ current employee skills will be transformed by AI by 2030. In addition, 65% of respondents expect AI to eliminate resource and skills constraints that they feel are currently holding their organisation back. 

• AI is also redefining leadership and the skills that matter most. By 2030, one in four boards (25%) is expected to include an AI advisor. Furthermore, 72% of executives believe leadership roles will be fundamentally reshaped and more than seven in ten (73%) anticipate entirely new leadership positions emerging.  

• Competitive advantages in AI will depend on the right technology bets. While nearly half of UK executives (48%) believe their edge will come from AI model sophistication, only 29% have a clear view of the models they will need by 2030.  

• Most (81%) expect their AI capabilities to be multi-model, including smaller, fit-for- purpose models. It’s clear, tailored technology-digital agents, AI models, and data that capture the essence of each organisation’s business logic are key to successful AI implementation. Generic algorithms and off-the- shelf agents alone won’t differentiate enough for many businesses.  

• 60% of executives surveyed say quantum-enabled AI will transform their industry. 36% anticipate using quantum computing by then but just over one in three (37%) are actively preparing their organisation to be quantum safe. This indicates the need for balance in AI and quantum acceleration whilst maintaining clear governance processes for businesses.  

The Enterprise in 2030 study also provides a roadmap for business leaders on how to turn AI-first ambitions into measurable outcomes. To view the full study, visit: https://www.ibm.com/thought-leadership/institute-business-value/en-us/report/enterprise-2030 

As part of the study, senior executives shared their perspectives on how technology is reshaping strategy, operations, and workforce priorities. See addendum below. 

*Study Methodology 

The IBM Institute for Business Value, in cooperation with Oxford Economics, gathered insights from 2,007 senior executives across large businesses on how they expect their organisations to evolve between 2025 and 2030. The survey was conducted across 33 countries and 20 industries during the third and fourth quarters of 2025. The survey explored strategic priorities, including AI-first operations, the integration of advanced AI models into products and services, workforce transformation, and readiness for emerging technologies like quantum computing. 

The IBM Institute for Business Value, IBM’s thought leadership think tank, combines 
global research and performance data with expertise from industry thinkers and leading academics to deliver insights that make business leaders smarter. For more world-class thought leadership, visit: www.ibm.com/ibv. To receive more insights, subscribe to the IdeaWatch newsletter: https://ibm.co/ibv-ideawatch.   

About IBM 

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service.  Visit www.ibm.com for more information. 
 

Media Contact 
Rebecca Butler 
IBM UK External Communications 
rebecca.butler@ibm.com 

Executive Perspectives: 

“The capabilities that transcend any particular job will remain very important: decision-making, judgment, strategy, collaboration skills, intuition, clarity of thought. Those things will become even more necessary in a world where you can delegate a lot of the underlying work to an agent." — Aaron Levie, CEO and Co-Founder, Box 

“AI’s future isn’t about bigger models. It’s about smarter integration with people and processes.” —Jinesh Dalal, Head and VP,  Technology Development, C-Metric 

“We’re the first women’s soccer league in the world to implement a video assistant referee. We know that AI is going to unlock tremendous efficiency and effectiveness to reduce or potentially even eliminate some of the human error that happens around the calls that happen on the field.” – Jessica Berman, Commissioner, National Women’s Soccer League 

"The entire C-suite should always be asking, 'How can we disrupt the market? How can we leverage disruption to our competitive advantage by reinventing the what's next and where are we going?'" —Maureen Power Sweeny, Chief Revenue Officer, RapidScale