Key Takeaways
- By 2030, 79% of surveyed executives expect AI to significantly contribute to their revenue, up from 40% today
- AI investment is expected to surge by 150% between now and 2030, with a focus on innovation over efficiency
- 67% of respondents expect AI to eliminate resource and skills constraints, and 64% believe competitive advantage will come from innovation rather than resource optimization
- 82% of respondents expect their AI capabilities to be multi-model by 2030, with 72% expecting small language models to surpass large language models
- By 2030, executives expect 25% of enterprise boards to have an AI advisor or co-decision maker, and 74% say AI will redefine leadership roles across the enterprise
Introduction to AI-Driven Growth
According to a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value, nearly eight in ten (79%) surveyed executives expect AI to significantly contribute to their revenue by 2030 – up from 40% today. This represents a significant shift in the way businesses view AI, from a tool for efficiency to a driver of innovation and growth. As Mohamad Ali, Senior Vice President, IBM Consulting, notes, "AI won’t just support businesses, it will define them. By 2030, the companies that win will weave AI into every decision and operation. They will own powerful AI assets, move faster than competitors, bring innovations to market quickly, and deliver real, measurable business results using technology and automation."
Shifting Focus from Efficiency to Innovation
The study reveals that while nearly half (47%) of AI spend is currently focused on efficiency, respondents expect 62% of AI spend to be dedicated to innovation by 2030. This shift in focus is driven by the expectation that AI will boost productivity by 42% by 2030, with 67% of respondents expecting to capture most AI-enabled productivity gains by then. As Aaron Levie, CEO and Co-Founder, Box, notes, "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."
The Importance of Technology Bets
The study also highlights the importance of making the right technology bets in order to achieve competitive advantage. While most surveyed executives (57%) say their competitive advantage will come from AI model sophistication, only 28% have a clear view of what AI models they’ll need by 2030. As Dr. Thomas Eckl, Chief Expert, Bosch, notes, "Quantum will never stand alone. Classical computing, AI, and quantum must work together in connected workflows." The study also finds that surveyed organizations scaling AI across multiple workflows, using smaller, custom and foundation AI models, anticipate 24% greater productivity gains and 55% higher operating margins by 2030.
Redefining Leadership and Skills
The study also explores the impact of AI on leadership and skills. By 2030, executives surveyed expect 25% of enterprise boards to have an AI advisor or co-decision maker, and 74% say AI will redefine leadership roles across the enterprise. As Umang Dharmik, SVP and Head of IT, Mercedes-Benz Research Development India (MBRDI), notes, "We’ll need more problem solvers who understand both the business and the models—people who can marry technical capability with business insight. That’s the future of every company, including ours." The study also finds that 67% of respondents expect AI to eliminate the resource and skills constraints that hold their organization back today.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, the study provides a roadmap for business leaders on how to turn AI-first ambitions into measurable outcomes. As Maureen Power Sweeny, Chief Revenue Officer, RapidScale, notes, "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?’" To achieve this, businesses must focus on making the right technology bets, redefining leadership and skills, and leveraging AI to drive innovation and growth. As the study notes, "By 2030, insight will be everywhere. Interfaces will be radically different, and AI will act as the business intelligence system, decision engine, and a participant in operations."
https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-01-19-ibm-study-ai-poised-to-drive-smarter-business-growth-through-2030