Why C-suite executives are leading the AI charge 

There will be a high cost to businesses that do not take advantage of the AI wave. Carson Hostetter at RingCentral discusses a new era of AI in voice communications and the role conversational data is playing in leaders’ AI and communication strategies 

 

Every technological revolution has its early adopters. But for perhaps the first time in corporate history, those pioneers aren’t young upstarts or even typical tech enthusiasts – they’re C-suite executives. 

 

In a sharp role reversal, many C-suite leaders have emerged as their organisations’ most avid artificial intelligence (AI) adopters, wielding algorithms with the enthusiasm of digital natives. In the daily rhythm of decision making, for many people AI has become as essential as the morning coffee run. This top-down technological transformation is redrawing organisational charts and challenging centuries of corporate evolution. 

  

The implications of the new digital hierarchy extend beyond a handful of simple tasks becoming automated. Our recent research reveals a compelling disparity in AI adoption across management levels. While 54% of C-suite executives engage with AI daily, barely a fifth of middle management have embraced these tools. This represents a rethinking in how organisations process information and make decisions.

 

This also signals a future where AI proficiency will become essential across all organisational levels, with new use cases emerging that may bring AI into creative problem-solving and even vital decision-making processes in real time. 

  

As AI increasingly influences strategic decision-making, access to and understanding of these tools has become crucial. Our research shows that almost nine in ten (88%) teams now use AI tools at least weekly.

 

However, the depth and sophistication of usage varies dramatically across organisational levels, meaning businesses could face significant risks from a technological divide of their own making. 

  

 

The voice revolution 

The most profound impact of AI will be in how organisations communicate, transforming everyday conversations into strategic assets. Modern AI solutions have the power to understand, analyse, and guide companies, and while AI is being integrated across all forms of communication, voice in particular presents unique opportunities.

 

Take sales teams as an example. AI can analyse voice data from calls and meetings to uncover sales opportunities and identify key success factors. By evaluating conversations, AI highlights best practices, enabling managers to provide targeted coaching and support to sales representatives. It can also identify when a sales pitch resonates with a customer or when it falls flat, allowing for continuous improvement. 

  

Our research shows that 81% of businesses plan to invest in voice data analysis tools within the next year, a recognition that every conversation holds potential strategic value.

 

What once meant little more than dictating emails or asking virtual assistants for weather updates can now offer true transformation. Modern voice AI solutions can analyse sentiment, identify patterns, and extract actionable insights from these exchanges, elevating routine discussions into strategic assets.  

  

Consider the implications: every customer call, team meeting, and presentation becomes a source of actionable intelligence. For example, within the contact centre, AI can process both customer and agent conversations, detecting sentiment, tone, and underlying emotions. This allows businesses to understand the customer experience in real time, enabling immediate interventions that can improve service delivery and resolve issues faster.

 

This isn’t just data collection, but institutional knowledge captured at scale. When a product issue emerges, AI catches the first whispers of discontent. When a new market opportunity appears, it spots the pattern in casual client conversations. 

  

 

The cost of hesitation 

The price of AI hesitancy extends beyond operational inefficiency. Companies restricting AI access to senior levels – intentionally or not - are unknowingly creating knowledge bottlenecks that ripple throughout their entire organisation. When executives become the sole gatekeepers of AI insight, they inadvertently slow down decision-making at every level.

 

With 97% of leaders anticipating increased AI investment over the next three to five years, these bottlenecks risk becoming permanent organisational barriers. 

  

Beyond lost efficiency, the costs manifest in missed opportunities and eroding competitive advantage. Our data shows that organisations with limited AI adoption struggle with longer sales cycles, higher customer churn, and declining employee satisfaction. As AI-driven competitors accelerate ahead, companies failing to embrace widespread adoption may find themselves unable to keep pace.  

  

 

Democratising tomorrow’s tools 

The real opportunity for AI lies in its democratisation. Forward-thinking organisations recognise that AI’s true power emerges when it is accessible across all levels. As we enter the era of Agentic AI—where AI systems act with greater autonomy, proactively assisting users—ensuring widespread adoption is more critical than ever.

 

To bridge the gap, businesses must prioritise AI usage beyond senior leadership, embedding it deeper into the organisation. This means equipping middle management with AI tools that enhance decision-making, enable front-line teams with real-time insights, and foster a culture where AI fluency is the norm. 

  

If AI is to be truly democratised, it cannot remain the domain of executives or specialist teams. Progressive organisations are cultivating AI champions at every level, leveraging peer-to-peer learning networks to accelerate adoption. Tools like automated coaching dashboards help managers become AI advocates, while AI-driven assistants provide real-time guidance to front-line staff. 

  

The window for establishing a competitive advantage through AI is closing rapidly. Each team member without AI access represents untapped potential for the organisation. Businesses that break down barriers to AI access, creating a seamless flow of insights across all levels, will lead the next wave of innovation.  

 

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Carson Hostetter is General Manager & Executive Vice President, AI and Customer Experience at RingCentral

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and monkeybusinessimages