Execs see AI and automation as long-term strategic investments

• 46% of CIOs and 43% of CEOs prioritize AI adoption over next five years
• Executives expect full ROI on technology investments after six years of deployment
• Only 10% investing in employee training now, but 73% plan skills investment

The corporate world appears to be playing a fascinating game of technological patience. While executives are busy fighting fires with cybersecurity and compliance today, they're secretly planning their AI revolution for tomorrow. It's like watching someone meticulously organize their sock drawer while dreaming of becoming a space explorer.

The numbers reveal a curious disconnect between ambition and action. Nearly half of top executives want AI automation within five years, yet they're currently focused on decidedly less glamorous tasks like not getting hacked. This suggests that while AI promises of "10x faster, 10x better, 10x cheaper" sound appealing, most companies are still figuring out how to walk before they run toward their robot-assisted future.

Perhaps most telling is the training gap: companies are planning to invest heavily in AI but barely investing in the humans who will need to work alongside it. It's reminiscent of buying a Ferrari and then realizing you never learned to drive stick shift. The six-year ROI expectation suggests executives understand that meaningful AI transformation isn't a quick fix but a marathon that requires both technological infrastructure and human capability development.