South African organisations are increasing their investment in artificial intelligence, but new research from Accenture suggests that many businesses are still developing the capabilities needed to turn AI adoption into measurable and sustainable business value.
Accenture’s latest Pulse of Change research, published in July 2026, surveyed 3,000 C-suite leaders and 3,000 employees from large organisations across 20 countries, including South Africa.
The research found that 82% of C-suite leaders globally are increasing their investment in AI, while 49% of companies are either piloting or deploying AI agents.
However, the findings also highlight a significant gap between AI investment and organisational readiness. Only 41% of global leaders surveyed said they considered their organisation very prepared to respond to talent disruption caused by AI. Among employees, that figure fell to just 34%.
AI investment continues to accelerate
Accenture found that 86% of C-suite leaders globally plan to increase AI investment in 2026. Despite this growing investment, only 23% said their organisations are currently realising widespread and sustained business value from AI.
The findings suggest that moving from AI experimentation to broader deployment requires more than increased spending on technology.
Organisations will also need to reconsider their technology infrastructure, workforce roles, skills requirements and operating models as AI becomes more deeply integrated into business processes.
Cybersecurity becomes a bigger AI challenge
The research has particular relevance for South African security professionals as organisations expand AI across business operations and digital infrastructure.
Cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important part of AI adoption. As organisations deploy AI agents and connect AI systems to business data and applications, security teams will need to understand how these systems operate, what information they can access and how their activities can be monitored.
This creates a growing need for organisations to consider cybersecurity alongside AI adoption rather than treating security as a separate or later-stage consideration.
AI systems that can interact with business applications and data can introduce new access, monitoring and governance requirements, making security controls increasingly important as deployment expands.
Skills remain a major barrier
The research also highlights a growing AI skills challenge.
Both C-suite leaders and employees identified skills gaps as a significant barrier to AI adoption, with 36% of each group identifying middle management as having the largest AI capability gap.
This suggests that organisations may need to invest not only in technical AI skills, but also in the ability of managers and employees to understand, manage and work effectively with AI systems.
For South African businesses, developing these capabilities will become increasingly important as AI moves beyond pilot projects and into everyday operations.
Implications for South African organisations
Accenture’s research included South Africa alongside countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, the US, Australia, India and Singapore.
The findings indicate that as AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, organisations will need to focus increasingly on governance, workforce capabilities, cybersecurity and resilience alongside technology investment.
For security leaders, the message is clear: adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Ensuring that AI is deployed securely, supported by the right skills and governed effectively will be equally important in turning investment into sustainable business value.
