Reported by Consejeros Editorial Team
The findings of the 2026 Survey on Boards of Directors, conducted by the Centre for Corporate Governance at IESE Business School, conclude that 55 per cent of board members believe that AI is not yet delivering tangible results for their companies. Furthermore, only 36 per cent of respondents state that their board addresses this issue just once a year, whilst only 15 per cent say it is discussed at every meeting. Both figures clearly indicate that the implementation of this technology is progressing slowly in most organisations
Board involvement in key aspects of artificial intelligence governance also remains limited. Only 9 per cent of participants consider the board’s level of involvement in defining a strategic roadmap for AI to be high, whilst 38 per cent rate it as low.
The study also examines the attention paid by corporate governance bodies to other issues such as geopolitics, which has recently been gaining ground on their agenda. Forty-six per cent believe these issues are affecting the resilience of supply chains, and 10 per cent strongly agree with this statement. In this regard, the main risks identified include the inefficiency of governments (25 per cent), protectionist trade policies, including tariffs (22 per cent), and the rise of populism and nationalism (16 per cent).
As regards relations with China, board members show limited support for reducing exposure to China, whilst they are more in favour of increasing investment in the United States and the European Union. 72 per cent favour concentrating investments within their own region.
Finally, with a view to strengthening the resilience of supply chains, 56 per cent of companies are diversifying their supply chains, compared with 10 per cent who are maintaining their current structures.
The study is based on responses from 130 board members and chief executive officers from companies in 24 countries and across five continents, collected between October 2025 and January 2026.
