Compact edition · 23 Oct 2026 · full version

2026 in pictures: PwC × Capgemini

82 reports, 90,000+ respondents, one page. Each tile is one picture and one line. Blue is PwC, orange is Capgemini. Click any number, tile, row or report to read the full explanation.
PwCCapgemini
56%of CEOs: no revenue or cost gain from AI yetPwC CEO Survey · n=4,454
why this matters
12%got both. The "vanguard"PwC CEO Survey
who they are
2%have fully scaled AI agentsCapgemini agentic AI · n=1,500
the maturity ladder
43→27%trust in fully autonomous agents, one yearCapgemini agentic AI
why trust fell
30%CEO revenue confidence, a five-year lowPwC CEO Survey
the trend
62%wage premium for AI skillsPwC AI Jobs Barometer
by sector
56%of workers in the "engine room": no daily AI, low trustPwC Hopes & Fears · n=49,364
the four cohorts
3→5%of business budgets going to AI in 2026Capgemini AI Perspectives · n=1,505
where it goes
$450bnagentic AI value by 2028 (estimate)Capgemini
how it was built
31%of CEOs highly exposed to cyber loss (21% two years ago)PwC CEO Survey
threat trajectory
15%have quantified climate financial impactCapgemini World in Balance · n=2,100
the execution gap
2.4%world GDP growth 2026, market ratesPwC Global Economy Watch, Sep 2026
the full table

Six stories, six pictures

Click a tile to open the full story: the evidence from both firms, why they differ, and what to do.

1 · The AI value gap

Neither gain56%
Revenue up30%
Costs down26%
Costs went UP22%
Both (vanguard)12%
Cap: measurable gains66%
Cap: operationalised38%
Same diagnosis, different patients. PwC asks all CEOs: most see nothing yet. Capgemini asks $1bn+ AI deployers: most see gains. Both say foundations and workflow redesign (PwC's "80/20") separate winners.
PwC 29th Global CEO Survey, Jan 2026 · Capgemini AI Perspectives 2026, Jan 2026

2 · Agents: everyone exploring, nobody scaled

Exploring 61%Pilot 23%12%2% scaled 43%27% 20242025 Trust in fullyautonomous agents
Adoption is wide and shallow, and trust is falling as it spreads. Still, 82% plan agents by 2027 and agents in operations doubled to 21% in 2025. PwC: only 22% of security chiefs would let AI act alone.
Capgemini Rise of agentic AI (Jul 2025), Top Tech Trends 2026 · PwC Digital Trust Insights 2027

3 · A two-speed workforce

141811Engine room 56% Front-runners · AI insurgents · Indispensables · Engine room 14%22%daily GenAI use 57%62%AI wage premium
A mobile 14% pulls ahead; a 56% majority has no daily AI, falling training access (59→51%) and trust in management down 7 points. AI-exposed firms grew headcount 52% vs 36%. Capgemini: 70% expect restructuring for agents.
PwC Hopes & Fears 2026 (Sep) · PwC AI Jobs Barometer 2026 (Jun) · Capgemini agentic AI

4 · Cyber, trust, sovereignty

CEOs: cyber top threat31%
…two years ago21%
"Very capable" on all risks6%
Spend mostly proactive24%
Quantum: not started49%
Boards discuss sovereignty93%
See full dependency map14%
Would pay premium (avg 23%)~half
Threat up, readiness flat, sovereignty on every board agenda. PwC ties trust to money (fewest trust concerns = TSR +9 pts). Capgemini: sovereignty means "resilient interdependence", not autonomy (59% say full sovereignty is unrealistic).
PwC CEO Survey, Digital Trust Insights 2026/2027 · Capgemini Digital Sovereignty (Sep 2026, n=1,300)

5 · Macro, tariffs, energy

56%38%30% 202220252026 CEO revenue confidence 2026 GDP growth, % India6.6 China4.6 World2.4 US2.0 UK1.0 Eurozone0.9 Inflation 3.4% · Fed & ECB hikes expected
Two-speed world, confidence at a five-year low, energy the shock of 2026. Tariffs: 20% of CEOs highly exposed, 29% expect a margin hit. 70% of CEOs saw costs rise mid-year. Capgemini: 73% have a reindustrialisation strategy, US reshoring 30→48%, 83% short of skilled workers.
PwC CEO Survey + Aug 2026 Snapshot · PwC Global Economy Watch Sep 2026 · Capgemini Reindustrialization 2026

6 · Sustainability: values → value

Positive ROI from sustainability69%
Sales lifted (47% in 2025)64%
Have science-based targets84%
…and on track42%
Postponed net zero (8% before)29%
Quantified climate $ impact15%
CEOs with climate in capex/M&A20%
CEOs exposed to climate loss42%
It pays, but ambition is outrunning execution. Water now beats energy as the feared constraint (61%). 45% say AI raised their emissions. PwC's model: AI could add up to 15% to 2035 GDP, climate could cut ~7%.
Capgemini A World in Balance 2026 (Sep) · PwC CEO Survey · PwC Value in Motion

Where the firms agree and differ

Click a row for the full argument behind it.
Topic
PwC
Capgemini
agreeExecution, not tech, decides AI returns
Foundations → 3x more likely to see returns; 80% of value is redesigning work
"Year of truth": investment outpaced value; 2/3 pausing low-value projects
differHow bad the ROI picture is
56% of all CEOs see nothing; 12% see both
66% of deployers see gains; ROI 1.7x; budgets 3→5%
agreeAgents: 2026 story, barely scaled
2025 agents "didn't deliver much"; benchmark to the P&L
2% scaled, 61% exploring; 82% plan by 2027
differForecasting style
No point forecasts; regressions on what works
$450bn by 2028, 25% of processes autonomous by 2028
agreeJobs grow, human skills earn more
Headcount +52% vs +36%; 62% wage premium
70% restructuring; 6 in 10 expect AI teammates
differWhose divide
Workers: 14% front-runners vs 56% engine room
Organisations: AI-ready vs not; no wage data
agreeTrust is financial
Fewest trust concerns → TSR +9 pts
"Trust is the key"; 46% have governance, seldom followed
differGeopolitics & sovereignty
Risk to calibrate; "the biggest danger is denial"
A market: 93% boards, 23% premium, 48% US reshoring
agreeSustainability = value + resilience
Only ~1 in 4 CEOs embed climate in decisions
69% positive ROI; 15% quantified; 29% delayed net zero

All 82 reports

Click a row for the full card: every number, the firm's advice, caveats and the source link.
Date ▾ReportWho was askedKey numbersIn one line
Explanation