Geopolitics reshapes CEO priorities as firms focus on profitability, AI and dealmaking

Geopolitics reshapes CEO priorities as firms focus on profitability, AI and dealmaking

Geopolitical instability has become the dominant concern for global business leaders, prompting a shift in corporate strategy towards profitability, resilience and targeted growth, according to the latest EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook Survey.Geopolitical instability has become the dominant concern for global business leaders, prompting a shift in corporate strategy towards profitability, resilience and targeted growth, according to the latest EY-Parthenon CEO Outlook Survey. The quarterly study, based on responses from 1,200 CEOs across 21 countries, suggests that executives are adapting to what they see as a prolonged period of structural uncertainty by tightening their focus on disciplined investment, artificial intelligence and strategic transactions. More than half of respondents, 56 percent, identified geopolitical risk as the most significant threat to their business over the next 12 months, representing a rise of 28 percentage points since September 2025. The findings indicate that geopolitical pressures are now shaping boardroom priorities more directly than in previous years. (more…)

Microsoft report claims AI agents will reshape organisations and redefine knowledge work

Microsoft report claims AI agents will reshape organisations and redefine knowledge work

Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index report suggests that organisations are entering a new phase in the evolution of knowledge work, in which artificial intelligence agents become embedded in everyday operations and employees take on supervisory roles over digital systemsMicrosoft’s latest Work Trend Index report suggests that organisations are entering a new phase in the evolution of knowledge work, in which artificial intelligence agents become embedded in everyday operations and employees take on supervisory roles over digital systems. The study, based on a survey of 31,000 workers across 31 countries alongside labour market data and productivity signals, suggests that this shift is already underway and could accelerate rapidly over the next few years. (more…)

Uncontrolled use of AI in organisations linked to rising risk and slower returns

Uncontrolled use of AI in organisations linked to rising risk and slower returns

New polling from Lenovo suggests that the widespread, and often unregulated, use of artificial intelligence in organisations is creating operational risks, increasing costs and slowing the return on investment from AI initiatives. The company’s latest Work Reborn Report, based on a survey of 6,000 employees worldwide, claims that more than 70 percent of employees now use AI tools on a weekly basis. Up to a third of this activity is taking place without formal oversight from IT departments, contributing to the growth of so-called shadow AI. (more…)

AI has yet to have any significant impact on UK employment levels

AI has yet to have any significant impact on UK employment levels

A new report suggests that fears of AI triggering widespread job losses in the UK have yet to be borne out by evidenceA new report suggests that fears of artificial intelligence triggering widespread job losses in the UK have yet to be borne out by evidence, with little indication so far of major disruption to employment. The study, published by think tank The Centre for British Progress, examines labour market data since the rapid emergence of generative AI tools and finds no clear signs that the technology has led to large-scale displacement of workers. Despite frequent predictions that AI could significantly reshape or reduce the workforce in the near term, the report concludes that such effects are not yet visible in aggregate employment trends. (more…)

AI displays bias when judging people, and that matters for some of its most common uses

AI displays bias when judging people, and that matters for some of its most common uses

AI systems don’t just process information; they systematically ‘judge’ people in ways that resemble human trust, but with important differencesAI systems don’t just process information; they systematically ‘judge’ people in ways that resemble human trust, but with important differences, according to a new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU). The results have implications for some of the most common ways AI is already being used as a decision-maker and opinion-former, especially in recruitment and law. According to the new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society A by Prof. Yaniv Dover and Valeria Lerman of the Hebrew University Business School, the reason is both reassuring and deeply unsettling. (more…)

Global office fit-out costs rise as geopolitical pressure and AI reshape workplaces

Global office fit-out costs rise as geopolitical pressure and AI reshape workplaces

The cost of fitting out office space around the world has risen by up to 6 percent over the past year, as geopolitical instability and growing technological demands combine to reshape corporate real estate strategies, according to new research from JLL. The firm’s 2026 Global Office Fit-Out Cost Guide, which analyses 68 cities, identifies a complex mix of factors behind the increase, including higher energy prices, supply chain disruption and ongoing shortages of skilled labour. (more…)

People are using AI tools to self-diagnose, but research shows they are very likely to be getting bad advice

People are using AI tools to self-diagnose, but research shows they are very likely to be getting bad advice

ew polling from AXA Health, claims that artificial intelligence is directly shaping when and how people seek medical help in the UK despite a growing body of evidence showing that AI models are not very good at itNew polling from AXA Health, claims that artificial intelligence is directly shaping when and how people seek medical help in the UK despite a growing body of evidence showing that AI models are not very good at it. One new study, titled “Large Language Model Performance and Clinical Reasoning Tasks”, published in JAMA Network Open, found that AI chatbots misdiagnosed medical conditions in over 80 per cent of early clinical cases. (more…)

Workers sabotage AI rollout as mistrust in the tech grows, survey finds

Workers sabotage AI rollout as mistrust in the tech grows, survey finds

A significant proportion of employees are resisting the introduction of AI in the workplace, with some actively undermining its adoption, according to a new global survey.A significant proportion of employees are resisting the introduction of artificial intelligence in the workplace, with some actively undermining its adoption, according to a new global survey. The 2026 AI Adoption in the Enterprise report, produced by Writer in partnership with Workplace Intelligence, draws on responses from 2,400 knowledge workers across Europe and North America. It suggests that while organisations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, many employees remain unconvinced of its value and are pushing back against its use. (more…)

Employee engagement falls worldwide as AI investment fails to deliver productivity gains

Employee engagement falls worldwide as AI investment fails to deliver productivity gains

Global employee engagement has declined for a second consecutive year, despite rapid investment in artificial intelligence, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report.Global employee engagement has declined for a second consecutive year, despite rapid investment in artificial intelligence, according to Gallup’s latest State of the Global Workplace report. The study, based on one of the largest ongoing surveys of employee experience, suggests that organisations are struggling to translate technological change into measurable improvements in performance or working life. Employee engagement fell to 20 percent in 2025, down from a peak of 23 percent in 2022 and its lowest level since 2020. This decline has significant economic implications, with Gallup estimating that low engagement costs the global economy around $10 trillion in lost productivity, equivalent to 9 percent of global GDP. (more…)

Use of unauthorised AI sparks security and compliance concerns for businesses

Use of unauthorised AI sparks security and compliance concerns for businesses

Two thirds of business leaders in the UK are worried about potential data security and compliance risks stemming from employees’ unregulated use of artificial intelligence tools, according a new poll of senior decision-makers within UK businesses, commissioned by Studio Graphene. The design studio commissioned Censuswide to survey 500 managers, directors and C-suite executives within UK businesses. It found that almost half (48 percent) of respondents know or suspect that employees in their organisation are using AI tools that have not been officially approved – this rises to 54 percent for larger companies (over 250 employees). (more…)

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

Creativity, thinking and expertise in the workplace should be safeguarded from AI

Workplace professionals and general managers should proceed with caution if they want to use AI to improve efficiency and human capital in the workplace, and should take steps to ensure creativity and critical thinking are preserved, new research from the University of Bath School of Management suggests. The research team identified two types of knowledge which appeared partially compatible with AI – encoded knowledge, which encompasses rules, procedures, policies, and datasets; and embedded knowledge – essentially digitalised processes and routines. (more…)

AI adoption slows in workplaces despite hype and massive investment

AI adoption slows in workplaces despite hype and massive investment

Corporate adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) appears to be slowing, raising questions about the pace at which the technology will deliver economic returnsCorporate adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) appears to be slowing, raising questions about the pace at which the technology will deliver economic returns, according to a new analysis of data in The Economist. Figures quoted from the US Census Bureau suggest that the proportion of employees using AI at work has edged down to around 11 percent in recent weeks. The decline is most notable among larger organisations with more than 250 staff, where uptake had previously been stronger. The findings indicate that, three years into the current wave of generative AI development, business demand may be less robust than anticipated. (more…)