Half of CEOs believe much of their role should be replaced by AI: survey

AI is no longer just threatening employees at the entry-level, as a new report finds even those at the top believe they could be replaced by the evolving technology.

This is among the major findings of a survey from edX and Workplace Intelligence, which sought the responses of 800 C-suite executives, including 500 CEOs.

It found that 47% of the C-suite believe that "most" or "all" of the CEO role should be replaced by AI.

For CEOs who participated in the poll, nearly half of them (49%) also believe "most" or "all" of their role should be completely automated.

The findings underscore that not only entry-level or managerial employees are concerned that they could be replaced by AI, as previous estimates say 300 million jobs could be disrupted because of the technology.

According to the edX survey, 51% of executives "feel threatened by AI" and 79% are afraid of being left behind if they don't acquire AI-related skills.

"With more companies moving full speed ahead toward an AI-driven workplace, leaders are faced with an important decision: Embrace AI or be left behind," said Andy Morgan, Head of edX for Business, in a media release.

Executives embracing AI

Despite this looming threat on their jobs, however, the survey revealed that executives are still embracing AI at work.

In fact, 91% of them said they would like AI to support them, while 81% are excited to learn AI skills and apply them to their roles.

Three in four of the respondents are also hopeful that their job could be augmented by AI, according to the report.

"What executives undoubtedly recognize is that AI can boost their effectiveness and free up their time for more important business activities," the report said.

A majority (65%) of the executives even admitted that they would like AI to take over some of their tasks even if it meant getting a pay cut.

Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, described leaders who know that AI can support them in their roles as "savvy."

"Executives who take steps to become proficient with AI will be better equipped to make decisions that will position their companies for success in today's ever-evolving business landscape," Schawbel said.