KPMG flags widening execution gap as tech leaders bet on AI maturity, talent and partnerships

January 27, 2026 in Companies, Science and Technology by Editor

KPMG’s Global Tech Report 2026 warns of a widening execution gap as organisations race to adopt artificial intelligence. While ambition is rising across Africa and globally, the firm says competitive advantage will hinge on skills, governance and partnerships that allow AI to scale responsibly, rather than access to technology alone.

As African organisations accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence, the real competitive divide is no longer access to technology but the ability to build the skills, governance and operating models needed to scale AI responsibly, according to KPMG.

Speaking at the release of the Global Tech Report 2026, KPMG One Africa Partner and Technology and Innovation Lead Marshal Luusa said the continent is entering what the firm describes as the Intelligence Age, where leadership will be defined by execution rather than experimentation.

“As Africa enters the Intelligence Age, the differentiator is no longer access to technology, but the ability to build the skills, governance and operating models required to scale it responsibly,” Luusa said. “Those that invest early in digital skills, human–AI collaboration and adaptive leadership will be best positioned to translate innovation into sustainable commercial and economic impact.”

Luusa’s remarks frame a central conclusion of the report: while ambition around AI is rising rapidly across African and global enterprises alike, many organisations are struggling to convert that ambition into consistent returns.

Released on January 27, the report is based on a survey of 2,500 executives across 27 countries, including significant representation from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. It finds that 68 percent of organisations globally aim to reach the highest level of AI maturity by the end of 2026, yet only 24 percent have achieved that benchmark today.

Although 74 percent of respondents say their AI initiatives are delivering business value, just a quarter report consistent returns across multiple use cases, highlighting a widening execution gap as adoption scales.

The findings suggest organisations are no longer debating whether to adopt AI, but how to embed it deeply into core operations while managing complexity, talent shortages and uneven returns on investment.

According to Guy Holland, Global Leader for KPMG’s CIO Center of Excellence, many companies are moving beyond what he describes as “AI roulette”, where organisations place scattered bets across emerging technologies without a clear path to value.

“The future belongs to leaders who turn intelligence into advantage,” Holland said. “High performers are not just adopting AI faster; they are executing better. When ambition meets disciplined execution, value compounds.”

The report identifies a clear performance divide. Organisations classified as high performers — those leading in technology maturity, operational processes and value creation — reported average returns of 4.5 times their investment, more than double the industry average. These firms have largely moved beyond pilot programmes, focusing instead on scaling innovation across the enterprise while continuously adapting their operating models.

Smaller firms, transformation-led organisations and companies facing fewer cost pressures also reported stronger returns, suggesting that flexibility and strategic focus matter as much as scale. Rather than a single investment sweet spot, KPMG points to the emergence of distinct “ROI zones”, ranging from early quick wins to enterprise-wide value creation as AI maturity increases.

Agentic AI — autonomous digital agents capable of executing tasks and making decisions with minimal human intervention — has emerged as a central pillar of enterprise strategies. Eighty-eight percent of surveyed organisations say they are already investing in agentic AI, reflecting expectations that such systems will fundamentally reshape operations, decision-making and service delivery.

Despite this momentum, the report warns that technology alone will not deliver sustained value. Talent constraints remain a critical bottleneck, with more than half of organisations reporting that they lack the skills needed to fully implement their digital transformation agendas.

Even as AI adoption accelerates, companies expect 42 percent of their technology workforce to remain permanent human staff by 2027. High-performing organisations plan to retain an even larger share, underscoring the importance of effective human–AI collaboration rather than workforce replacement.

Luusa said the findings carry particular relevance for African organisations as digital transformation gathers pace across the continent.

“Success in the Intelligence Age will depend less on replacing people and more on enabling skills, leadership and workforce readiness,” he said. “Those who get this balance right will be better positioned to convert innovation into long-term economic value.”

Partnerships and ecosystems are emerging as another defining feature of successful strategies. Ninety percent of organisations plan to expand their technology partnerships over the next year, while nearly a third of tech leaders intend to increase investment in centres of excellence to support controlled experimentation and cross-functional collaboration.

Looking ahead, the report finds that technology leaders are increasingly willing to take calculated risks on emerging frontiers such as quantum computing and artificial superintelligence. Seventy-eight percent of respondents agree that greater risk-taking will be necessary to remain competitive, even as concerns around ethics, governance and resilience intensify.

KPMG concludes that organisations able to balance ambition with disciplined execution, ethical foresight and workforce development will be best positioned to turn disruption into durable value. Those that fail to close the gap between aspiration and capability risk being overtaken, not by technology itself, but by competitors who deploy it more effectively.