In IDC’s 2025 CEO Survey (419 CEOs + 15 in-depth interviews), tech priorities are shifting toward making AI central—not peripheral—to business strategy. CEOs report measurable benefits from generative AI in operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, business resilience.
The big questions for leaders today are not if to adopt AI, but how fast, how deeply, and how much it will cost—and whether mid-market companies have the flexibility and resources to do it right.
5 Pillars of the 2025 CEO Tech Agenda
- Embrace the AI-Fueled Business
CEOs expect more revenue from digital products, services, and AI-enabled experiences. They believe models will be reinvented over the next 3-5 years thanks to AI. (blogs.idc.com) - Find Growth amid Uncertainty
Economic pressures (inflation, supply chain disruption, trade issues) are pushing leaders to use technology investments—including AI agents—to gain or retain competitive advantage. But many CEOs also insist humans must retain approval/control in decision-making. (blogs.idc.com) - Enable Strong Tech Leadership
The role of CIOs, CTOs, CISOs is evolving. More direct reporting lines to the CEO. Less focus solely on cost/risk; more focus on enabling agility, innovation, new AI-driven revenue streams. (blogs.idc.com) - Safeguard Trust
Trust with employees (especially around job displacement), trust in AI outputs (bias, transparency), trust with partners & vendors. Data governance, security, ethical AI practices are top priorities. (blogs.idc.com) - Lead with Humanity
Even with AI, human centered leadership remains essential. Employee involvement, empathy, creativity, culture—these are what separate AI investments that succeed vs those that stall. (blogs.idc.com)
How Much Does It Cost to Implement AI into a Company?
IDC’s piece doesn’t give exact dollar amounts for implementation. But combining what the survey points to with typical cost components, here’s what mid-market companies should anticipate—and budget for—when making AI part of their strategy.
| Implementation Phase / Component | What It Involves | Estimated Cost for Mid-Market ($5M–$100M Revenue) | Key Drivers of Cost |
| Assessment & Strategy | Evaluating business model, identifying use cases, auditing data, defining AI roadmap, selecting vendors | ~$50,000-$200,000+ | How many departments, how mature data and tech infrastructure are, how many external consultants needed |
| Pilot / Proof of Concept | Deploying limited scope generative AI, or specific AI agents in one or two business units (e.g. customer service, marketing) | ~$100,000-$500,000+ | Complexity of models, integration with existing systems, need for human oversight, regulatory/compliance requirements |
| Platform / Tools / Infrastructure | Buying or subscribing to AI tools (models, APIs), cloud compute, data storage, security, monitoring infrastructure | $100,000-$1,000,000+ depending on scale and how much is built vs bought | Scale of usage; volume of data; how customized the models are; internal vs external resources; geographic/regulatory environment |
| Talent / Training / Change Management | Upskilling existing staff, hiring AI engineers/data scientists, change management, leadership buy-in | $50,000-$500,000+ | Number of employees, roles needed, geographic labor cost, internal culture and resistance, leadership support |
| Ongoing Costs | Maintenance, model retraining, monitoring, governance (bias, security), human oversight, updates/patches, vendor fees | Typically 10-30%+ of initial investment per year | Number of tools/vendors; frequency of updates; compliance/regulatory burdens; volume of usage and data; rotation or churn of staff/resources |
Example Total Costs & ROI Scenarios
- Light / Early-Stage Implementation
If a mid-market company is just starting (1-2 pilots, using third-party tools, limited custom development), first-year cost might be $150,000-$400,000. ROI may come in via efficiency savings, reduced errors, faster time-to-market in 12-18 months. - Full Transformation
If the company aims to embed AI across its core functions (customer experience, operations, product, marketing), with internal platforms, custom AI agents, strong governance, and major training programs, the cost can climb to $1M-$5M+ in the first year, plus ongoing maintenance. Returns may include operational cost reductions, revenue growth, resilience, and competitive differentiation—often material for companies in growth stages.
What Mid-Market CEOs Must Ask Themselves Before Committing
- Where are the highest potential impact areas? (Customer journey, operations, finance, etc.)
- How ready is our data infrastructure and existing tech stack?
- How much human oversight and change management will be required?
- What level of trust, transparency, and governance will be needed for internal and external stakeholders?
- What payback period is acceptable? 12 months? 24? Longer?
Conclusion
IDC’s 2025 CEO Agenda makes clear that AI has moved from “nice to have” to “core to strategy.” But implementation comes with real cost—financial, organizational, and cultural. Mid-market firms that approach AI with a clear roadmap, the right leadership, and realistic expectations stand to gain enormous rewards. Those that rush or underinvest risk wasted budget, misaligned tools, or lost trust.
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