Only 15% of Leaders Aim to Be at the Forefront of AI-Driven CX — Qualtrics + McKinsey Report

Read the Report

A new report from Qualtrics and McKinsey puts hard numbers behind what CX leaders have felt for years: AI isn’t just enhancing customer experience—it’s redefining it. But while 77% of executives say CX is a top priority, only 15% are positioning themselves to lead in the AI-powered future. This gap between urgency and action is where competitive advantage is being won—or lost.

📊 Key Findings from the Report:

• $860B Value Opportunity: AI-enabled CX could drive up to $860B annually in EBITDA across B2B and B2C sectors.

• Massive CX Prioritization, But…: 77% of executives say CX is a top priority — yet loyalty is declining.

• Only 15% Aspire to Lead: Just 15% of execs aim to be at the forefront of AI-driven business transformation.

• Market Share Growth Tied to CX: Companies prioritizing CX are 2.4x more likely to report gaining market share.

• AI Momentum Building Fast: 84% expect measurable AI impact within five years; half within two.

• CX Transformation Requires AI Maturity: Systematic AI implementation—not pilots—drives sustainable competitive advantage.

• Agentic AI Is Coming: The next evolution goes beyond chatbots—toward AI agents that orchestrate decisions autonomously.

The CXF Take:

This report from Qualtrics and McKinsey lays bare a growing gap: ambition versus action. Executives understand AI’s transformative potential in CX — but few are moving with the urgency the market demands.

The $860B signal is clear: value creation is happening across three vectors — productivity, growth, and cost-to-serve. But here’s what too many leaders are missing: the compounding nature of AI. Unlike traditional tech, AI learns and scales. Early movers aren’t just improving—they’re accelerating.

What CXF sees on the front lines:

• Companies still silo AI initiatives — running proof-of-concepts that never escape pilot purgatory.

• Organizational inertia is real, especially when AI challenges legacy power structures.

• Success belongs to operators who treat AI not as a tool—but as an operating system for experience.

The leap to agentic AI—intelligent systems that operate independently and adapt in real-time—will separate the next decade’s winners from the rest. Most brands will still be refining their feedback loops. Leaders? They’ll have agents that orchestrate, resolve, and optimize—before a human even logs in.