A recent EY-Parthenon survey of 271 U.S. corporate growth leaders revealed that 80% find the current growth environment significantly more challenging than last year. External pressures, including geopolitical volatility (73%) and rapid technological innovation (58%), have forced nearly 97% of respondents to alter their strategies within the past 12 months. Mitch Berlin, EY Americas Vice Chair, noted that leaders are operating in "constant turbulence," emphasizing that winners will be those who leverage AI to innovate faster and hyper-personalize services.
Despite the difficulty, 78% of executives believe AI will eventually accelerate their organization's growth. However, a significant trust gap persists; less than a third of leaders trust AI inputs for high-stakes tasks like M&A evaluation (27%) or product development (28%). Currently, most organizations remain in a productivity phase, with 63% using AI primarily for efficiency rather than revenue generation. Berlin stated, “The appetite to leverage AI for growth and acceleration is undeniable. However, we are seeing a disconnect between this ambition and strategic adoption.”
To bridge the deficit, many companies are turning to emerging solutions like neurosymbolic AI to provide transparent, auditable predictions. Internal obstacles also remain a major hurdle, with 35% of executives citing risk and compliance requirements and 34% pointing to legacy infrastructure as primary barriers. The survey underscores a shift toward AI-enabled growth strategies that aim to move beyond simple cost-cutting to future-proof entire organizations against ongoing market shocks and energy instability.