AI Adoption Starts at the Top: 3x more C-suites on LinkedIn are adding AI literacy skills compared to two years ago
AI is becoming the new must-have leadership skill. New LinkedIn data shows that leaders are not just talking about change – they’re leading it by role modelling exceptional AI usage to inspire their teams to do the same.
Top findings:
3x more C-suite executives globally on LinkedIn are adding AI skills like prompt engineering and Generative AI tools to their profiles today compared to two years ago
Leaders are 1.2x more likely to add AI literacy skills compared to the rest of the workforce
88% of leaders say helping their business speed up AI adoption is their priority this year
51% of companies that are integrating AI are seeing revenues increase by 10%
AI literacy is now one of the most in-demand skills employers seek across all jobs on LinkedIn, and C-suites rank it as the #1 skillset for navigating business change
Dan Shapero, Chief Operating Officer at LinkedIn: “AI adoption is fundamentally a leadership challenge as much as a technology one. While many organizations recognize the need for technological change, they underestimate the profound level of change management required to bring AI into the daily habits of their team. Today's leaders must role model exceptional AI usage and evolve into AI leaders who not only personally embrace AI in their own work, but who can also inspire their teams to do the same.”
Shishir Mehrotra, CEO, Grammarly: “What's powerful about AI isn't the technology itself, but how it empowers teams with the right tools at the right time as part of their everyday workflow. Personally, AI helps me scale my day-to-day work by handling tasks that would otherwise eat up hours of my time—capturing action items from customer conversations, drafting initial follow-up messages, and quickly locating buried information across docs. One of my favorite AI-driven workflows is getting to and staying at inbox zero, so I can be highly responsive and productive while preserving time for deep work. AI is the next transformative leap in enhancing how we work, create, and solve problems.”
Samantha Hammock, EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at Verizon: “When leaders think of AI as an opportunity, rather than as a threat or disruptor, they can tap into the full potential of what this technology offers…Right now, most companies are looking at AI from a productivity lens and cost avoidance. The real unlock will be when we fully integrate AI throughout the employee experience and embed it in how we build our workforce strategies aligned to business priorities.”
In partnership with Microsoft, LinkedIn has unlocked a range of AI learning courses including two Professional Certificates designed to help leadership teams get started on AI upskilling: AI for Organizational Leaders and AI for Managers. These courses are unlocked and free to access through December 31, 2025.
Discover how C-suite executives, including LinkedIn Chief Operating Officer Dan Shapero, Autodesk Chief Marketing Officer Dara Treseder, Mastercard Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Raja Rajamannar, Walmart SVP, People - Global Tech and Corporate Functions Maren Waggoner, Samsung CMO for Europe, Benjamin Braun and Workato Chief Strategy Officer Markus Zirn are role modelling AI adoption and driving change across their organizations by hearing their stories here.