25 Aug South African organisations face AI readiness challenge

South African organisations are increasing their investment in artificial intelligence, but new research from Accenture suggests many businesses are still working to build the capabilities needed to turn AI adoption into measurable 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 gap between investment and organisational readiness. Only 41% of leaders surveyed globally said they considered their organisation very prepared to respond to talent disruption resulting from AI, while just 34% of employees shared that view.

The research has particular relevance for South African security professionals as organisations expand their use of AI across business operations and digital infrastructure.

Accenture found that 86% of C-suite leaders globally plan to increase AI investment in 2026. At the same time, only 23% said their organisations were currently realising widespread, sustained business value from AI.

The report argues that organisations moving from experimentation to wider AI adoption need to rethink not only their technology infrastructure, but also roles, skills and operating models.

Cybersecurity is an important part of that challenge. 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.

For organisations in South Africa, this creates a need to consider security alongside AI adoption rather than treating cybersecurity as a separate issue.

The research also points to a growing 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.

Accenture’s research included South Africa alongside countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, US, Australia, India and Singapore.

The findings suggest that as AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations, organisations will need to focus increasingly on governance, workforce capabilities and resilience alongside technology investment.

For security leaders, the message is clear: adopting AI is only part of the challenge. Ensuring that the technology is deployed securely and supported by the right skills and governance will be equally important.