Bosses feel heat too as AI puts all heads on the block

Those at the coalface might be bracing themselves for the AI chop but it seems senior executives are also in the firing line, with 38% of CEOs reporting a high or crippling amount of stress around AI strategy and two-thirds (64%) fearing they could lose their job if they fail to lead their organisation through the tech transition.

That is according to the AI Adoption in the Enterprise study by Writer, conducted in partnership with independent research firm Workplace Intelligence, which surveyed 2,400 global employees and C-suite leaders using AI at work.

It reveals that, to get ahead in the AI race, 92% of the C-suite admit they are actively cultivating a new class of “AI elite” employees. Most leaders (87%) report that these AI super-users are at least 5 times more productive than employees who are not embracing AI.

But the stakes are high for those who lag behind – 77% of executives warn that employees who refuse to become AI-proficient will not be considered for promotions or leadership roles, and 60% plan to lay off employees who cannot or will not use AI.

While nearly all executives (97%) say AI has been beneficial, and 75% believe AI agents will be part of their company’s C-suite within the next 5 years, few have seen significant ROI from generative AI (29%) or AI agents (23%), and nearly half (48%) feel that AI adoption at their company has been a massive disappointment.

Worryingly, 69% of the C-suite report that their company is laying off staff due to AI, but 39% admit they do not have a formal strategy in place to drive revenue from AI tools.

Even where strategies do exist, quality is lacking – 75% of executives say their company’s AI strategy is more for show than for actual internal guidance.

Meanwhile, as pressure from boards intensifies, internal friction is growing. Over half (54%) of the C-suite say adopting AI is tearing their company apart, and 56% say this has created power struggles and disruption at their organization – double digit increases from 2025.

Some 78% of executives say AI has created tension between IT and other lines of business, with 55% reporting that AI use is a chaotic free-for-all at their company.

In addition, nearly all (95%) of executives say roles, titles, and team structures are changing at their company because of AI, and 90% say the rise of AI super-users will require them to completely rethink how they evaluate and reward performance.

Managers’ roles are also under scrutiny, with 80% of Gen Z trust AI more than their manager, for example for tasks like providing performance feedback and career advice.

However, instead of embracing AI, some workers are pushing back. In fact, 29% of employees – including 44% of Gen Z – admit to sabotaging their company’s AI strategy, for example by entering company information into public tools, using unapproved tools, or refusing to use AI. Executives recognise the danger, with three-quarters (76%) saying employee sabotage poses a serious threat to their company’s future.

Finally, over two-thirds (67%) of executives believe their company has suffered a data leak or security breach because of an employee using an unapproved AI tool. More than one-third (35%) concede they are not very confident they could “pull the plug” on a rogue AI agent if it started causing financial or reputational damage to their company.

Writer chief executive and co-founder May Habib said: “Layoffs are not a viable AI strategy. The leaders who are putting in the work to radically redesign operations with human-agent collaboration at the centre are the ones compounding their advantage in ways competitors can’t replicate.

“AI transformation is ultimately about people, and the future belongs to the companies putting agent-building power directly into the hands of people closest to the work.”

Bosses feel heat too as AI puts all heads on the block

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