6 in 7 Singapore CEOs Say AI Could Cost Them Their Job, Dataiku Survey Finds

Last year, Singapore's CEOs worried about falling behind in AI. This year, they worry about being held personally accountable for it — and the numbers are striking. A new global study from Dataiku, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that 88 per cent of Singapore CEOs believe their job will be at risk by the end of 2026 if they fail to deliver measurable AI results. Among them, 89 per cent say they would stake their position on delivering those outcomes, even though a third still won't let AI make decisions without human approval.

The survey, conducted between February and March 2026, polled 900 CEOs across eight markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the UAE, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. All respondents lead companies with annual revenue exceeding US$500 million. In Singapore, the pressure is notably more intense than the global average — 81 per cent of CEOs worldwide said their job would be at risk, but Singapore's 88 per cent figure is among the highest in any market surveyed.

The tension at the heart of these numbers is revealing. CEOs are under immense pressure to show AI ROI, but many still don't fully trust or govern the systems informing critical decisions. Globally, 83 per cent of CEOs believe a fellow CEO will be ousted due to a failed AI strategy or crisis — a fear that reflects just how high the stakes have become in the C-suite.

This pressure is particularly acute in Singapore, where the government has made AI adoption a national priority through initiatives like the National AI Strategy and Smart Nation programmes. The city-state's competitive business environment means CEOs are expected to move fast — but the Dataiku survey suggests they're doing so without the confidence that their AI systems are under control. That gap between adoption and governance is where careers could be made or broken.

The findings echo a broader pattern across Singapore's economy: AI adoption rates are high, but the infrastructure, trust, and governance frameworks haven't caught up. The Robert Walters survey earlier this week found 89 per cent of Singapore organisations have adopted AI in some form, yet career optimism about AI among workers actually lags other markets. CEOs may be betting their jobs on AI, but they're not yet sure the bet will pay off.

Why it matters for Singapore: The Dataiku survey quantifies what many observers have sensed — Singapore's corporate leaders feel the heat on AI delivery more intensely than their global peers. With the government's AI push creating both opportunity and expectation, the margin for error is thin. For the broader ecosystem, the risk is that fear-driven AI adoption — implementing AI to save face rather than to solve real problems — could produce the very failures CEOs dread. The coming year will test whether Singapore's boardrooms can match their AI ambitions with the governance frameworks needed to execute them safely.