Technology, Media & Telecommunications: KPMG 2026 Global CEO Outlook

As AI accelerates, the stakes are rising

Technology, media and telecoms CEOs remain confident about the growth prospects for their businesses. But beneath that confidence, the forces shaping the next phase of growth are becoming more complex. AI is moving rapidly from experimentation into the heart of business strategy. But greater adoption is also increasing the pressure to prove returns, strengthen cyber resilience, navigate a changing regulatory environment, manage growing infrastructure and energy demands, and rethink how people and AI will work together.

The KPMG 2026 Technology, Media & Telecoms CEO Outlook explores how leaders are responding to this new reality, and where they are planning on capitalizing on growth opportunities. The findings show technology CEOs pursuing the economics of AI, media CEOs navigating changes in how content is created and distributed, and telecoms CEOs considering how connectivity, data and customer relationships can support higher-value services.

Where TMT growth is taking shape

Technology CEOs have the strongest growth expectations and 28% expect to see AI returns within six months. But as the capital required to scale AI rises, the bigger question is whether that investment can translate into sustainable returns.

AI is changing content creation and discovery and the relationship with audiences, while raising questions around IP, provenance and trust. With 62% of media CEOs calling for greater AI regulation, protecting the value and credibility of content is becoming a commercial imperative.

Seventy percent of telecoms CEOs already report significant or transformational measurable value from AI, even though most expect returns over a one-to-three-year horizon. The opportunity now is increasingly about translating that value.

KPMG 2026 Global CEO Outlook: Technology, Media & Telecoms

Explore how technology, media and telecoms CEOs are approaching the opportunities and risks of an AI-driven economy, from growth and investment to cyber resilience, regulation, sustainability and the workforce.

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Cybersecurity is the leading growth threat and investment response

The findings point to a new phase for TMT. AI ambition is clear. The question now is whether companies can prove the economics, secure the infrastructure, strengthen resilience, manage energy demand and build the workforce required to turn technological change into sustained growth.

Anna Scally

Global Head of TMT

KPMG International

Our insights

In collaboration with KPMG, the World Economic Forum offers practical guidance for organizations seeking to harness AI as a strategic capability in their cybersecurity efforts