Artificial intelligence is projected to play a role in every aspect of information technology work by 2030, according to a Gartner survey. The research firm’s findings indicate that IT functions in the coming decade will combine human expertise with AI automation, with chief information officers expected to oversee an environment increasingly driven by machine support.
Gartner’s July 2025 survey of more than 700 CIOs found that by 2030, none of IT work is expected to be conducted solely by humans without AI involvement. The study projects that 75% of tasks will be performed by humans working with AI, while 25% will be executed by AI alone. Analysts said this shift will require organisations to align technological readiness with workforce preparedness to maintain long-term value.
Speaking at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona, which hosts over 6,500 CIOs and IT executives, Gartner analysts said few organisations have adequately balanced these two dimensions. Gabriela Vogel, vice president analyst at Gartner, said the firm aims to provide CIOs with guidance on integrating AI into their operational strategies.
Rob O’Donohue, vice president analyst at Gartner, said that while AI systems are advancing in their ability to deliver value, many organisations are less prepared to capture and sustain that value. He described “AI readiness” as an organisation’s capability to deploy technology effectively, and “human readiness” as its ability to adapt the workforce to operate alongside AI.
Gartner projects AI’s overall effect on employment will remain neutral through 2026, with job creation expected to outpace losses by 2028. The firm recommends that CIOs focus on workforce transformation rather than staff reduction, particularly by limiting new hiring for low-complexity roles and redirecting existing employees toward emerging business areas.
According to Gartner, skills such as summarisation, information retrieval, and translation are likely to diminish in importance as AI systems automate or assist with these tasks. Conversely, AI adoption is expected to generate demand for new skill sets that support human decision-making, communication, and problem-solving. Gartner advised organisations to integrate ongoing assessment into skills development programs to prevent loss of core competencies as employees adapt to AI tools.
The study also examined three dimensions of AI readiness: costs, technical capabilities, and vendor selection. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, 73% of surveyed CIOs reported that their AI investments were either breaking even or operating at a loss. Gartner advised organisations to account for hidden and transition costs, including training and change management.
Analysts identified AI capabilities such as search, content generation, code generation, and summarisation as mature, while accuracy and autonomous AI agents remain in earlier stages. Vendor selection, Gartner said, should depend on the scale and specificity of the intended AI application. Large-scale deployments may benefit from hyperscale cloud providers, while start-ups can offer more tailored, domain-specific solutions.
Gartner also noted that AI adoption raises sovereignty considerations, as organisations must evaluate how data control and infrastructure decisions affect operational independence.
The firm introduced a framework to help organisations assess their readiness for AI initiatives, combining technology maturity with workforce capability. Vogel said that those able to align both dimensions could better sustain value from AI investments and adapt to changes in business structure driven by automation.
Gartner’s analysts concluded that the primary benefits of AI integration would arise from initiatives focused on improving core organisational functions or addressing complex challenges, rather than from automation alone.
