tech
February 3, 2026
IBM: Where Will AI Contribute to Revenue Growth?
A study from IBM’s Institute for Business Value finds 77% of C-suite executives in the UK and Ireland believe AI will contribute to revenue growth by 2030
TL;DR
- 77% of UK and Ireland C-suite executives believe AI will drive revenue growth by 2030.
- Expected AI investment is projected to increase by 149% by 2030.
- Current AI spending primarily focuses on efficiency (47%), but by 2030, innovation in products/services is expected to be the main focus (64%).
- A key challenge is the lack of clear strategies (only 27% understand the source of future AI-driven revenue).
- 73% of leaders worry AI initiatives will fail without proper integration into core business functions.
- AI could add £400bn to the UK economy by 2030 through increased productivity and innovation.
- Globally, businesses are moving from AI trials to full integration, with North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific leading.
- Reskilling the workforce is a global priority due to expected major reshaping of employee skills by 2030.
- Quantum-enabled AI is seen as a future transformer, but only 37% of organizations are preparing to be 'quantum-safe'.