Eager to Embrace, Overwhelmed by the Learning Curve: Here’s How C-Suite Leaders Feel About AI

It’s obvious to say that AI will transform the workplace, but how do executives even feel about it? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

While 91% of executives say they would like AI to support them, a large majority also feel overwhelmed by how much they must learn to extract maximum value from it. 81% stated that they are excited about the learning opportunities this presents, but the exact same proportion, 81%, said that they feel forced to learn about AI even if it has nothing to do with their field.

Furthermore, 79% were of the opinion that they’ll fall behind if they don’t stay up to date with AI. 75% are hopeful about how AI can augment their roles within a given organization, simplifying many tasks and boosting the creative process in various ways, but 57% feel overwhelmed about the integration process.


Learning anything new can be an overwhelming experience, and it seems like corporate leaders aren’t too keen on how much necessary it’s become. AI is rapidly turning into an essential component of work processes around the world, and it won’t be long before not knowing how to use it would be similar to not knowing how to use the internet.

This data is from survey by edX in collaboration with Workplace Intelligence. With 800 C-suite executives polled, it reveals a conundrum that many of the top ranking corporate leaders are grappling with.

Though one might assume that their main concern would be losing their jobs or earning less money, 65% would actually prefer it if AI made their jobs easier, even if it led to a decrease in their salaries. In yet another example of the paradoxes at play, 51% feel threatened by AI, almost as if C-suite executives themselves don’t fully know how to feel about AI just yet.

The emerging tech is bound to cause paradigm shifts in practically every industry, and this can already be seen with the coding and creative capabilities of ChatGPT. AI has nowhere to go but up, and it will be interesting to see how the major corporations of the world respond to it. The ones that adopt it eagerly and get through the intense learning curve stand to gain a lot, but those that fail in this endeavor might not be able to make it very far.

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