Executives turn to AI, company acquisitions for expansion despite mounting economic pressures

Corporate executives worldwide are turning to artificial intelligence and company acquisitions to fuel expansion despite mounting economic pressures, new research shows.

A survey by EY-Parthenon released Tuesday found that business chiefs plan to speed up rather than scale back investments even as geopolitical tensions and trade disputes create headwinds. The poll, conducted alongside the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, reveals shifting strategies at the top of global commerce.

The EY research, covered 1,200 chief executives from major corporations across 21 countries between November and December 2025. Nearly every company surveyed has either started or intends to launch major change programs this year.

Among those polled, 58% believe artificial intelligence will power their growth over the next two years. Roughly one-third think the technology will completely transform how they run their operations.

“Today’s most successful CEOs are confident in their ability to operate under uncertainty, acting boldly to embrace new technologies at speed and foster confident collaboration to gain competitive advantage,” said Janet Truncale, who leads EY globally.

“Business leaders need to execute decisively and intentionally by scaling innovation, investing in talent and working closely within their organization and across industries to create new value.”

The findings emerged during the opening day of full meetings in Davos, according to Bloomberg. They came shortly after the International Monetary Fund raised its predictions for worldwide economic expansion.

The IMF pointed to rising AI spending, especially across North America and Asia, as a major factor behind improved prospects. But the fund warned that markets could face a sudden downturn if the promised productivity increases from new technology fail to materialize.

Two-thirds plan to maintain or grow workforce

Corporate leaders increasingly see AI as a reliable tool for boosting productivity, revenue, and getting work done faster, according to EY. More than two-thirds expect to keep current staffing levels or bring on additional workers during the coming year as they pour money into AI systems.

Many executives are also pursuing company purchases to speed up their digital transformation, improve how things get done, and advance technology adoption.

Though governments are watching deals more closely and changing how they get structured, the appetite for investments stays strong. Some 79% of those surveyed are planning initiatives in 2026.

Trust gap holds back AI deployment

But serious doubts remain about how far companies will let AI systems operate on their own. Separate research from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, backed by Workato and Amazon Web Services, found that only 6% of firms completely trust AI to run their most important business operations without supervision.

The Harvard study gathered responses from 603 business and technology leaders worldwide in July 2025. It shows a sharp divide between excitement about AI and willingness to deploy it for critical work.

Among those surveyed, 43% said they trust AI systems only for basic or repetitive tasks. Another 39% limit them to monitored situations or less important processes. Companies seem willing to test things out but hesitant to hand over decisions affecting money, customers, or employees.

Still, adoption moves quickly. 9% of organizations report full deployment of AI systems that can act on their own, and half are testing or exploring potential uses. Only 10% decided against moving forward after initial review. Looking ahead, 86% expect to increase spending on such AI systems over the next two years.

Companies acknowledge gaps in preparation, though. Just 20% say their technology setup fully supports AI for core work. Only 15% report ready data and systems, and just 12% feel their risk controls are adequate. Using combined measures of infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, and oversight, researchers classified 27% of organizations as leaders, 50% as followers, and 24% as laggards.

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